Ruin
by Soccer Dude
Summary: In a world where hope has virtually vanished, a young man by the name of Taichi finds a way to live. But when he wanders into an unimaginable confilict, he learns the power of love, and the horrors of war. Taiora. Has cursing violence and adult themes
1. A Life Destroyed

The year is 2300

The year is 2300. Earth is in a terrible state. After an enormous meteor hit Earth and ushered in a Nuclear Winter, metropolitan cities became slums, and crime rules the streets. Gangs, riding Hoverbikes, terrorize the homeless. Lands once lush with plants and animals are scorched and lifeless. Summed up, the world has collapsed. 

But for some, life is not over. Money can be made in delivering raw goods for organizations. Specifically for one 18 year old teen, by the name of Taichi…

"200,000 yen for three tons of spices? That's it? You gotta be kidding me." Taichi argued.

"I can barely afford to keep my group alive." The short, fat man, known only as Newt, said with a sneer. "Let alone give tips to punks like you." He turned around, but Taichi grabbed his shoulder. 

"How do you expect me to make a living? My wallet is thinner than ever." 

Newt grumbled. "Taichi, I know you've been faithfully delivering me stuff for six months…"

"Seven."

"Right, seven months, but I can't offer anything more. 200,000 yen, take it or leave it."

Taichi glared at the boss of the local Pub. "I know some groups who'd pay twice as much for half of these spices." 

The balding man sighed. "Very well, I'll add another 25,000. But that's it." He took out a large cube shaped device with a slot on the left side. From his pocket, he pulled a blue piece of plastic, about the size and shape of a credit card out, and slid it through the opening. The number '225,000' showed up on a little screen, then the money-carrying card popped out. Then Taichi pulled out his own blue card, and put it into the same opening. The word 'Transferring money…' blinked on the screen, then it flashed, 'Transfer complete.' Taichi's card popped out, then he was 225,000 yen richer.

"Nice doing business with you again Newt. I've gotta take the _Peregrine_ for a new repulsion engine."

"I ain't surprised. That junk pile is held together with spit and rubber bands." Newt mumbled and turned away

"Hey, don't insult my ship!" Taichi grabbed the Pub boss by his shirt collar. "She's been faithful to me for two years."

"Hmph, I don't care about your ship, just your cargo. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bar to run." Newt waddled off the loading platform.

Taichi pocketed his card, then went to the _Peregrine, _his own airship. It was an old, reliable ship that he had gotten at some grimy shop for a fairly cheap price. It was truly a diamond in the rough. She had two enormous wings that could be folded back for speed and forward for maneuverability. Weapons were limited but sufficient, a small laser turret at the top and a pair of 42mm machine guns in front. 2 large engines in the back, and 2 each on either backside, making 6 in all, which allowed the _Peregrine _to reach up to 450 kilometers an hour. However, there was a reason the ship came so cheap. Everything from the nuclear reactor to the gauges on the H.U.D needed repairing. But Taichi never seemed to have enough money for it.

He went into the pilot room and sat down in the right chair. Taichi's partner, Agumon, occupied the other one. The Digimon was doing his favorite thing, sleeping. "Hey you Slothmon, wake up!" The pilot roughly shoved him off the seat."

"Oomph! I'm up, I'm up!" Agumon wearily stood back up, rubbing his head. "So, how much did we make today?"

"Enough for a new repulsion coil, and some food." Taichi began powering up _Peregrine_. The engines throbbed to life, and the electronics in front of the duo glowed green across the board. A moment later, Taichi's ship rose from the small platform, turned ninety degrees, then surged forward. Agumon put on Auto pilot, then hopped off his seat and headed off to the food storage for his other favorite thing, eating.

Taichi reclined in the pilot seat, and looked at the rubble that was once Odaiba below. He could spot gangs messing around, families huddling by fires, and street races by guys on motorcycles. Yeah, Earth was really at a low point. But he would live through it. His dream was to run a raw goods business, but for now, he was just some delivery guy with a rotting ship living in an old apartment in the ruined city of Odaiba. But who knows when he'd hit the big time.

At about 7 at night, _Peregrine _arrived at the body shop. Taichi gave the money needed, then went onto the streets with Agumon to the local bar. He paid for the food and drinks as well. Agumon, though less than half of Taichi's size, ate more steak then he did. After the quick dinner, the partners headed for the parking lot. Along the way they passed by a dark alley, which they heard several people talking. Taichi's curiosity got the best of him and he stopped to listen.

"No, I'm serious! I don't have it!" The voice of a girl about Taichi's age pleaded.

The sound of knuckles hitting flesh rang out, followed by a cry of pain. "Listen bitch, I let you into my group, and I expected you to pick some pockets." Another punch was thrown. "You aren't pulling your weight, and I don't like that." 

"Please Ray, I… I can make up for it! I promise!" The girl said weakly, trying to escape from a beating.

"Too late for that." He snapped his fingers. Apparently, there were several more people, because a series of knuckle cracking caused the girl to whimper in fright. Taichi couldn't stand the sounds of pain, and ended up running into the alley. "Hey! Lay off of her!" He shouted at the four men. 

Immediately, all of them stopped and turned towards the intruder. "This ain't your business punk, get yourself and that shrub you call your hair outta here."

"Now you've done it." Agumon muttered.

Taichi took several steps forward. "No one insults my hair. I said to quit beating on the girl, now do it before I kick your ass so hard, you won't be able to sit down for a month."

The tall leader of the gang snarled. "Get him!" He shouted to his three cronies. 

Taichi took a fighting stance. The first guy was small and skinny, and quickly fell under a kick in the face. The two others double-teamed him. One of them pinned his arms while the other punched his chest. Taichi broke free of the iron grip, then did an uppercut square in one's jaw, and then roundhouse kicked him. He landed and curled up, fighting to regain his breath. The third man took off with the other two painfully following him. 

The victorious Taichi went over to the battered teen girl. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…Unh!" She tried to stand up but her knees buckled and gave out. 

"They got you pretty good, eh?" Taichi reached down to help her.

The girl gratefully accepted his hand. "I should've know it was a bad idea to join them." Taichi finally got a good look at her. She was a small, skinny girl, nearly a head smaller than the teenage pilot was. Her cloths were torn and ragged, and her orange-red hair was messy. She looked like a regular woman living in the slums. "Uh… I'm kinda far from my hut. Could you give me a help me there or something?"

"I don't think so. My ship can barely hold me and my partner, and I'm busy." He began to turn away.

"Wait! Please, I can hardly walk, let alone go twenty blocks!" She pleaded. 

Taichi turned and looked into her deep brown eyes, and something made him say, "All right, I guess."

"Thanks, lead the way."

Taichi walked out of the alley with Agumon and the girl behind him. She began to stir up a conversation. "So, um… what's your name?"

"Taichi." He responded simply.

"My name's Sora. I live in the northern side, with my Mom. We sell some flowers there. It's not much, but we get by. But we're in a tough spot right now, and I thought I could join a gang and get some money. Didn't work out." She looked down at the cracked asphalt. "They beat me, raped me, and occasionally raided my house. I was supposed to have 1,000 yen by today, but I could only come up with half that." Sora looked back up. "There, I told my story, now let's hear yours."

Taichi sighed. "Mine's not very glamorous either. I used to live in Tokyo, but my family went broke, my sister caught a bad case of pneumonia, and died. Then my Dad kicked me out when I was 14 for wanting to be a pilot. He said I was living in a dream world, and that I'd never be good for anything.

I got a job as a cargo unloader. Two years of that and I got my pilot license and got a decent ship called the _Peregrine _and a partner, Agumon back there. Since then I've been delivering goods to people. That's about it."

Sora nodded. "Yup, we're just two rejects in the city, scrounging for money.

The trio arrived in the parking lot, where Taichi's ship sat waiting. He opened the hatch with a remote, and walked inside with Sora and Agumon behind him. Taichi and Agumon plopped down into their seats.

"Where am I going to sit?" Sora asked.

Taichi motioned at the floor.

"Hmph." Sora grumbled then sat cross-legged on the hard ground.

The _Peregrine_'s engines roared to life. After going up about 50 feet, Taichi shoved forward the throttle, which made Sora fall back and hit the door of the pilot room.

"Hey! Not so fast!" She complained as the pilot broke 300 kilometers an hour.

The ride took only a few minuets. By eight P.M, Sora had pointed out the entrance to her house. Taichi slowly lowered _Peregrine _and lowered the hatch out. Sora waved good-bye and shouted "Thanks!" The pilot watched her as she entered her house. Agumon snapped him out of his trance, and he began to take off, when Sora came bursting out, waving her arms and tears in down her cheeks.

"Keep her on stand-by, I'll see what's up." Taichi leaped from his seat and ran down the boarding ramp.

He met a babbling, sobbing Sora. "Taichi… my house… my Mom… gone… dead…! Everything!"

"Calm down, and catch your breath!" Taichi commanded her.

Sora pointed to her house. "In there, in there!"

Taichi pulled himself away from her grip and went into her small, underground house. Inside, it looked as though a bomb had gone off. Cabinets and their contents were across the floor, the garbage was tilted over, the small table was broken in two and the garden of flowers had been crushed and burnt. But the most horrifying thing was what happened to Sora's mother. She was lying spread eagle on the floor, viscously stabbed and cut. A puddle of blood was under her, and the stench of death reeked in the hut.

Sora walked in sobbing, and buried her face in his chest, crying out every last tear. Taichi could only stand there and comfort the girl whose life had fallen apart.


	2. New Futures

"It's not much, but, you should get be able to sleep

"It's not much, but, you should get be able to sleep." Taichi showed the old sleeping bag to Sora, who was still very shaken. She simply nodded and took the ragged old thing. "Uh, if you need anything, feel free to raid the fridge, and the bathroom's over there." Again Sora wordlessly nodded. "Well, uh, I'm going to bed. You should too. Good night." Taichi went into his room.

Sora got into the sleeping bag, pulled it over her head then wrapped it tight around herself. She lay down in a corner on the hard ground, but it didn't matter. Her old house had no bed. Her house… her life… her mother… gone, all gone. Another wave of tears overwhelmed the homeless girl. She silently let the tears fall. For several minuets, she listened to the still night air. After several moments, she heard Taichi and Agumon talking.

"What am I going to do Agumon? I can't keep her with me. I can barely afford for the two of us. I'd be broke in a week with a third person."

"I thought we already were broke."

"Will you listen to me? I need to think of something." 

"Well, uh, I guess you can try to get her a job?"

"Doing what? Selling flowers? I have to break it to her. If she's going to live with me, she has to pull her weight."

"Taichi, don't be too hard on her. She's just lost her home and mother."

"Yeah, I'll try. Just let me sleep on it. G`night." Sora heard blankets rustling, and gentle snoring.

After several minuets of deep thoughts, Sora finally decided. Quietly, she scrounged for some paper and a pencil. Hastily, she scribbled a note, then walked out the door.

Taichi woke early the next morning, at about six in the morning. He sleepily got out of bed, fumbled for a pair of clothes. When he walked out the door to see Sora gone though, his brain jump-started. Immediately, he grabbed the piece of paper and read it to himself.

"Dear Taichi,

I didn't mean to overhear you last night, but I did. You won't have to worry about supporting me, because by the time you're reading this, I'll be gone. Don't worry, I'll find a job. I won't forget your hospitality. Thank you.

Sora Takenouchi.

P.S. I took a little food, hope you don't mind. 

Taichi placed down the note. He didn't know whether to be sad or passive. He only met her last night, so why should he care? _Because she's like me, some person who's trying to survive. _He suddenly remembered what Sora said before. That they were just a couple rejects in the city. Taichi sat down; his thoughts swirling like a tornado. After a moment, he got back up and decided to eat something.

That day, Taichi didn't have any delivery duties, so he decided to go around the city once or twice alone. Maybe that would clear up his head. He grabbed his jacket, and put on a pair of shoes, then went down the stairs and out of the building. 

After only several minuets, the sky clouded up and it began drizzling, then all out raining. Taichi took shelter under a large pile of crates. "Climate gets weirder every day." He mumbled to himself.

From within the pile, an odd mechanical voice buzzed, "Yes indeed."

Taichi's adrenaline kicked in, and he leaped from the small cave and turned to face the speaker. A single red dot glowed back at him. Then a figure crawled out from under the crates. He was about the same size as Taichi, a bit shorter. He was completely shrouded in thick cloaks, and a faceplate covered three quarters of his face. A blue eye was all that could be seen of him. His voice seemed to be altered by an artificial voice box, but he was easily understandable. "You are called Taichi Kamaiya, correct?" 

Taichi nodded. "That's me." The person or android seemed to be harmless.

"I have something for you." From a gloved hand, he produced a card. Taichi took it and inspected the card. On it was a list of instructions and a series of numbers and letters. "This will guide you to the Chimera Institute."

"Chimera Institute?"

"Yes, it's where Boss Zubla is."

Taichi shook his head. "You'll excuse me if I ask who the hell he his? Or you for that matter."

The strange person's voice buzzed in a strange, mechanical chuckle. "Have you been living with your head in the sand? He runs the biggest crime organization in Japan. He sees you as a possible candidate for his group."

"Let me get this straight. You're asking me to join a crime ring?" 

"It's not my wish for you to join. I am only a right hand."

"Hmm," Taichi thought for a moment. "What's the pay?"

"Directly equivalent to your performance. The faster your shipping, the fatter your wallet."

Taichi considered this offer. He'd been living poorly for the last 4 years, and was pretty sick of it. A better room would definitely be a nice change of scenery. "OK, I'll join."

The figure nodded. "Very well. We'll be expecting you at 10 this night." He turned his back to Taichi and prepared to leave.

Before he could, Taichi asked, "Wait, could you tell me your name?"

For an awkward moment, the heavily robed person was silent. Then he finally said, "My name is of no importance." With that, he melted into the shadows.

Taichi looked at the piece of paper again. Then he walked out of the alley. By now the rain had stopped, so he continued on his previously scheduled walk around town.

That night, Taichi, with Agumon trailing behind him, headed to the local Pub. The instruction sheet said to tell the bartender that he was "The cleaning man, here to clean the back room." 

As he entered the sleazy bar, Taichi made his way around the tables filled with strange people. He finally sat down on the stool while Agumon shimmied himself up after several tries. The old grizzled bartender walked up and asked, "What's your liking?"

Taichi said hesitantly, "I'm, uh, the cleaning man, here to clean the backroom."

The man's gray beard bounced as he nodded. "Right. Just behind that door." He indicated a closed door in the corner.

Taichi walked to the door. Cautiously, he opened it. Inside was a regular looking storage room with a single swaying light bulb illuminating it. Taichi checked the card. The next instruction said to look for a barrel with two X's on either side. Taichi pointed to on side of the room. "You look over there, I'll check this side."

After a moment Agumon called out, "Found something!"

"Yeah what?"

"A button."

"So… push it."

Agumon did so. Silently, a trap door opened at the back of the room. A ladder went down into the darkness. Taichi went down it, rung by rung, until he reached the soft dirt bottom.

A shiver went down the Dinosaur Digimon's spine. "Pretty cold down here. I don't like it."

"Oh relax, there's a door up ahead." A thick metal door with a number pad at its side. Taichi looked at the card once more then punched in the 10-digit code.

With a hiss, the door creaked open. The strange android-human thing was waiting. "Welcome Taichi." He saw that Agumon was behind him, and gazed sternly at the invited pilot. "I was not aware you'd be bringing a friend."

"He's just my partner. He'll take orders from me."

Agumon grumbled at Taichi's remark.

The person's voice buzzed, "Very well. Come with me."

The three walked down a long set of stairs. Before they were halfway down, Taichi and Agumon could hear music echoing around. When they reached the bottom, they discovered a large cavern. All around there was bustling and chatting. A large refreshment table sat to the left, a band softly played some odd, techno-jazz kind of music. Tables were scattered here and there, some occupied with pilots like Taichi, and others empty or with finished meals on them. In the back wall though, there was an enormous throne with a bulky man sitting on it. He was finely dressed in blue and black robes, and a large sheathed sword was hooked onto his diamond-studded belt. Taichi presumed he was Boss Zubla.

"Come, we shall meet Zubla." 

Taichi followed the covered-up android person. They threaded their way through the crowd, and went up the steps to Boss Zubla.

The Boss's had a deep, reverberating voice. "So, this is our newest member. Welcome Taichi Kamaiya."

Taichi wasn't quite sure what to say. "Uh… It's… an honor to be a part of your group… sir."

Zubla's chuckle echoed through the cavern. "Please, just Zubla will do. I don't want my people to think of me as a total dictator." 

"OK, so…" Taichi wondered what to say. "What do I do first?" 

The enormous Boss snapped his pudgy fingers. Suddenly, Sora appeared from the shadows and asked, "Yes Zubla?"

"Take our newest member to his room."

"Right away Zubla." Sora turned to see Taichi, then silently gasped, but hid her surprise. "This way please." She quickly led Taichi and Agumon out of the enormous cavern through a small tunnel.

"Sora, I can't believe it! What are you doing here?" Taichi asked.

"Well, I was sitting in an alley, and this weird robot guy came out. He asked if I would be an usher in Zubla's Cavern. I needed some shelter and money, so I really had no choice. Since then, I've been down here, serving drinks and showing people to places."

"That's pretty cool. Did that robot guy have one blue eye?"

"Yeah, he was really creepy."

"He's the same guy who invited me here. Seems Zubla thinks I can be part of his pilot force."

"Well, I guess we've both caught a break." Sora stopped at one of the doors. "This is your room. It's small, but you get lights, a bathroom, running water, and a nice bed. 

"Sounds good." Taichi exhaled loudly. "Wow, what a coincidence we should meet again."

"If you can call it luck…" Sora said softly.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just, one of those believers in destiny."

"Destiny? As in… we all have some preplanned life?"

"Yeah, it's silly, but I still think it's real."

Taichi lightly laughed. "I don't. For me, everything you do is your choice."

"Yeah, well…" Sora sighed. "Good night Taichi."

"Night Sora." Taichi closed the door. His room wasn't much, but it'd do. Agumon was already inside, snoozing on one side of the bed. The newly hired pilot flopped down. His head was still a swirl of thoughts and emotions. "Am I ever going to know what it is that's eating at me?" He said to a blank ceiling.

Sora was about to walk away, when the odd android person said from behind her, "I see you're friends with Taichi."

Immediately, Sora whipped around in surprise, to see the speaker. Then she let out her breath and tried to ignore the adrenaline. "Why do you sneak up on me?"

"I have my reasons. You and Taichi like to talk with each other, correct?" His voice buzzed.

"Well, yeah, he saved me from being beaten by some thugs."

The person nodded. "Actually, I have something to do with him."

"You do?" Sora became curious. 

"Yes, but it is not important right now. I must attend to other things."

"Wait! Stop being so mysterious! Why don't you tell me your name or something?"

"You may call me… Xantos."

"… OK then, Xantos, what do you have to do with Taichi?"

"It is not of your concern. Go, there's still tables to be cleaned." With that, the odd person melted into the shadows in his usual manner. 

Sora felt a shiver run down her spine as she went down the hall.


	3. Incidents Happen

2300

The next morning, Taichi woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. "No wonder," He groaned to himself. The clock on the wall said it was 9 in the morning. He quickly woke up Agumon, and walked out of his dorm. Taichi made his way into the large dining cavern, but to his dismay, only found some cleaners wiping the table. 

"Aw crap." Taichi and Agumon said in unison.

"Hey guys…" Sora said from behind them. "I saved you some breakfast."

Taichi immediately grabbed a slab of bacon, while Agumon devoured a sausage whole. Sora winced at their terrible manners.

"So, uh, Zubla have anything planned for you today?" Sora asked as Taichi popped the last bit of meat in his mouth.

"Actually, I haven't talked to him about it yet."

"Well, you should. Makes a good impression on you."

"Hmm, guess you're right. I'd better go.

"Take your time. For Zubla, it's late to bed, late to rise."

"Sounds cool… uh, which way to his room?"

"Just down that hall, but take your time, explore a bit."

"OK, I'll see you, I guess." Taichi went off down a random corridor.

Taichi spent about an hour looking around Zubla's Chimera Institute. They had just about everything a town could have. An arcade with flight simulators, an Infirmary, a pool, a cafeteria, an enormous hanger that opened up into the above ground, even a library, although that was rarely occupied. Several giant power generators provided electricity for it all, and in the deepest part were all the dormitories. 

Afterwards, Taichi stood in front of the door to Zubla's room. Quietly, he knocked. The boss's bass voice rang out. "Who's there? Come in!" 

Taichi opened the enormous doors. "Uh, it's me, Taichi Kamaiya."

"Oh yes, the newbie. Enter!"

The pilot did so. "I was… just wondering, um… when my first assignment would be."

"Hmm," Zubla stroked his thick moustache. He turned to the people and Digimon in his room. "If you'd all be so kind…"

Wordlessly, the other occupants left. 

Agumon's eye caught a Floramon, and he turned to get a better look. "I'll be right back." He mumbled, and followed her out the enormous bedroom.

Taichi lightly chuckled and turned back to Zubla.

"Yes, well, let's get right down to business." Zubla brought forth a large black case. As he opened it, an eerie bright glow enveloped the room. Six thin tubes, each, containing a liquid, rest in it. "These are uranium rods. Just one could cause an explosion 10 miles wide. We discovered trace amounts of it in a local cave lake. About 200 miles from here, there is a building owned by a friend of mine, Merton. He has run out of coal, and he says that uranium rods should last him 6 months. Ample time to find an alternative source."

Taichi nodded, absorbing all the information. "OK then, I'll get right on it."

Zubla chuckled. "That's what I like to see, initiative. You have that advantage Taichi. That's why I trust you with this. Don't fail me, for both of our sakes."

Smartly, the pilot saluted. "Yes sir… err… Zubla."

"Dismissed." The fat boss of Chimera Institute waved his hand.

Taichi grabbed the closed box, tucked it under his arm, and exited.

An hour later, Taichi had gotten out of the underground city, boarded _Peregrine_, and began to ascend into the cloudy sky. 

Agumon was melting all over himself so much; Taichi had to remind him what to do. 

"How's the reactor looking Agumon? Yo, Agumon!

"Hunh? Oh, uh, it's green." He sighed and gave a goofy smile. "Green just like her…"

"Geez man, what the hell did you drink in the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, that's where I talked to her, the cafeteria." 

"Dude, are you talking about that Floramon?"

Agumon sighed. "Ahh, Floramon, such a beautiful name."

"Oh please, can I puke now?" Taichi checked the remaining systems then got up. "I'm gonna finish that turkey before it goes bad. Can you fly _Peregrine _without crashing?

"Yeah, sure."

Taichi groaned. The last thing he wanted was a lovesick Digimon for a partner. He went into the tiny room that served as a kitchen, and quickly ate lunch. Later, he returned to the cockpit, finding Agumon slowly turning back and fourth in his chair. 

He didn't see the approaching cliff. 

"Agumon! Look out!"

The dinosaur Digimon snapped out of his trance, and yelped in surprise. He gripped the controls and pulled _Peregrine_ into a steep climb. Taichi barely had enough time to strap in.

The rocky face was getting too close fast. Agumon pulled his entire weight on the stick, desperately trying to cheat death. The ship was at a 45 degree angle, the cliff was close enough to see rock patterns. Taichi watched his short, sad life flash before his eyes. Agumon relentlessly pulled, hoping his luck wouldn't fail him. Finally, the _Peregrine _was flying vertically. The sounds of rocks scarping against metal wailed out, then, silence.

Taichi opened his eyes. The seen of gray sky made him think he was going to heaven, but he realized he'd lived. Agumon straightened out the flight, and slumped down in the seat. Perspiration was across his face. Taichi shook his head and chuckled, despite his brush with the Grim Reaper. "Damn Agumon, that must be one hell of a Digimon you're gushing over."

The rest of the flight went without incident. Taichi had spotted the building where Merton's gang hung out. A feminine voice came in over the communicator. "This is Merton Air Traffic. You're in restricted air space. Please change course or you'll be fired upon.

Taichi already saw the dozens of laser turrets point his way. "Woah! Relax! I'm just a delivery guy. Zubla sent me."

After a brief pause, the women on the other end spoke again. "What is your delivery?"

"Six uranium rods." Taichi replied.

Another moment's silence. "You'll be guided to a platform. Don't attempt any tricks, or we will shoot."

Taichi followed the instructions to a small platform at the east wing. As he landed on the flat surface, he grabbed the box of explosive elements, and walked down the ramp. At least 10 guards, each with a large laser rifle, met him and escorted him down a long hallway. Taichi was careful not get too close, but at the same time, kept a cool exterior. Finally, after a series of doors, each larger than the rest, Taichi reached the person he assumed was Merton. He got the box ready.

"Taichi Kamaiya, one of Zubla's men, correct?" Merton was very much the opposite of Taichi's boss. He was short, skinny, pale, and wore glasses. The sharpness in his high-pitched voice though, showed he wasn't some 100-pound wimp. "Well, what the hell do you have for me?"

"Uh… Uranium rods from Zubla."

A quick snap and one of the troops took the box from Taichi and gave it to Merton. Eagerly, he opened it. He took one out, studied it, then to Taichi's surprise, he threw it on the floor. The tube shattered into dozens of pieces, and the liquid inside oozed out. "What kind of fool do you think I am! I know uranium when I see it, and this crap isn't uranium!" He shouted.

Taichi slowly tried to back out. "I'm sorry, I'm just a delivery guy! I don't know these things!"

Merton snapped his fingers again. Immediately, all six of the guards in the room drew laser guns. "Well then you should've chosen better employers."

Taichi stood stock still, his mind racing impossibly fast. Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind. As a guard to his right slowly closed in, he grabbed his gun by the barrel, then twisted it out and roundhouse kicked him in the head hard enough for his helmet to go flying. He squeezed the trigger, sending a stream of deadly fire through the room. It took out 2 more enemies, and nicked Merton in the leg. 

The injured boss roared loudly, "Get him!"

Taichi bolted, lasers closely trailing him. Guards were surprised to see a young man burst through the door with a dozen troops following. Years of being on the streets had made Taichi strong. He quickly retraced his steps back outside to the platform, now with more than twenty men on his tail. He signaled to Agumon, who waited patiently in the cockpit. The ramp lowered, allowing a breathless Taichi to leap aboard. 

A numerous amount of lasers fired at _Peregrine_, but they were meant for human targets, and it did little damage. Even so, Agumon took off in a hasty manner while the pilot manned the one turret.

Taichi quickly powered up the small pair of guns, but it was too late. Agumon was already in the air. 

Within seconds, the _Peregrine _was half a kilometer away, but the trouble wasn't over yet.

"Taichi! Missiles incoming!"

"Crap…" He muttered to himself. Swinging around, Taichi saw the oblong missiles coming in at an alarming rate. Carefully, he lined up the target to the incoming explosives. He let forward a salvo of scarlet red lasers. Out of the 4, only 1 exploded. Dismayed, but still determined, Taichi continued firing. Another missile burst in a fiery explosion, then the third.

Agumon warned Taichi over the communicator that turbulence was ahead.

"Great, just what I need." The gunner mumbled. Immediately, Taichi felt the rough wind bounce him in the turret. There was no was to hit the missile with such distractions. He braced himself for the impact, tightly gripping the ladder that led up. 

The missile hit.

Taichi smacked his head.

The world faded.

Sora was following Xantos.

Carefully, she edged her way across the wall, the android person walking down the hall. Slowly, she turned her head and peered down the corridor, she watched him turn and walk down the right passage. Like a shadow, she slid down the hall in perfect silence. As steadily as possible, she turned the corner.

A metal hand roughly grabbed her neck and lifted her off the ground.

Xantos's voice buzzed angrily. "Why are you following me?"

"Gah! I wasn't following!"

"Then you were spying?"

"Put me down! Erg!" Sora kicked in midair. Xantos roughly let go. Sora tenderly rubbed her neck and said, "I was just, curious about you."

"What is to know about me?" Xantos's one blue eye bored into hers. "Why do you want to learn about my past? There isn't a thing you can do about what's happened already."

"You can't change it, but you can change the way you feel about it." Sora tried to hide her resentment to his rudeness. "It's better to tell someone about it than keep it bottled up."

Suddenly, a thin, foot long blade erupted from Xantos's right forearm. With alarming speed, he whirled around and stuck it into the wall just a hairsbreadth from her face. "Shut up! You can't decide how I want to live my life!" He removed the menacing stiletto from the wall. "If I ever catch you following me, I'll drive steel into your neck."

Sora got the message, and quickly scurried off, her thoughts a jumble. She just couldn't shake off the weird attraction to Xantos. He was so mysterious, and seemed, somehow, connected to something. Sora shook her head. This was too much to think about on an empty stomach. 

She headed for the cafeteria to eat something, but saw a bustle of people and Digimon rushing through. "Hey, what's going on?" She stopped to ask a person.

"Some guy was hit I the head, and their trying to bring his ship down!"

A horrible thought struck Sora. No, it couldn't be… she had to check. Following the crowd, she made her way to the hanger. There, the worst thing she thought could happen, did just that.

The _Peregrine_, scorched with flames, and pieces of wire dangling out of gaping holes, slowly touched down. A medical team rushed in to get the wounded Taichi out. Sora watched in horror as he came out a minuet later, unconscious and with blood smeared on his face.

Taichi furiously worked the controls, touching down on the cracked ground. He leaped down the ramp before it was halfway down. He was too occupied to care about the pain that shot up his legs. The black smoke of the wreckage filled the air. Leaping over debris, Taichi searched among the pieces of _Windrider_ for him. "Yamato!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Yamato!" Again and again, he screamed his friend's name, until his voice was horse. "No… don't go yet Yamato, please, you're the only friend I have…" He mumbled. For hours, he looked among the graveyard of ship parts, turning over large sheets of metal, hoping to find Yamato there, alive. But nothing turned up. Taichi crawled away from the scene, grief stricken and with a tear in his eye. His best friend, lost, because of his arrogance. His own fault… Taichi frustratingly pounded the side of his ship, leaving a fist-shaped dent. Gone… gone… his friend… gone…

Suddenly, Taichi awoke and lay straight up. Breathing heavily, he looked around. He was in a white room, with counters filled with bottles, little black screens, and. "Medical tools? Am I in the hospital?" He said to himself. To his left, he saw Sora, curled up and asleep. "She's been waiting for me? Why'd she do that? She doesn't really care about me, does she?" He thought to himself. "Ah, well, might as well get some rest. My head feels like it's been in a vice." He lowered his head on the lumpy pillow, shifted around for a few minuets, then fell back asleep.

Taichi awoke once again, thinking he'd spent the better half of a day asleep. Slowly, his eyes opened and squinted back shut to get used to the light. 

"Taichi! You're awake!" Sora's familiar voice brought his eyes back open. "Oh thank God, they said you were close to a coma."

"Ugh…" Taichi groaned as the well-known pain in his head also welcomed him. "Man, I feel like I was hit by a freighter. What's been happening? How long have I been asleep?"

"About four days. Zubla has been visiting every ten minuets. Keeps saying he doesn't want an up-and-coming pilot like you going so quickly. Oh, he had to attend to something, so he asked me to tell you he's very sorry about the incident. It was his mistake, and he'll do full repairs on your ship."

"That's some light out of the dark, I guess." Taichi carefully sat up. "I'm starving, what time is it?"

"About an hour before dinner."

Taichi slowly slid off the bed, then stood up, testing his legs. "I'm gonna hit the showers. Later."

Sora stood up. "Are you sure you're feeling OK?"

"Yeah, fine." Taichi went off down the hall.

Along the way to the showers, Taichi brushed by the android-person.

"I see you're well. Good."

"What do you care?" Taichi asked the suspicious man.

"… Nothing."

"Bullshit! You're out for something, aren't you? What is it!?" Taichi approached him. 

Using the strong motors in his arm, the person grabbed Taichi's shoulder and squeezed hard. "My name is Xantos, don't forget it. I'll be the first to dance on your grave!" Calmly, he let go, then continued down the hall.

Taichi, completely shocked, realized that Xantos would cause problems for him.

The next two weeks went smoothly for Taichi. _Peregrine _was in better condition than ever, Taichi made lots of deliveries and earned plenty of yen, he didn't have any encounters with Xantos, and Sora was becoming a good friend. Then that one mission brought it all down.

"All you've been doing so far is delivery. Now it's time for a more large-scale assignment." Zubla explained to Taichi and Agumon. "You'll be providing the getaway vehicle for a robbery at the Fuji Mansion. It has lots of goods with only a handful of guards." He turned on a holographic 3-D map from the table in front of him. "Fuji Mansion is mostly underground. It has no anti-aircraft weapons whatsoever, so you should be safe. You'll drop off seven of my elite troops and wait while they get the goods inside."

"Wait, just how much yen worth of stuff is in there?" Taichi asked. 

"Fifty million, give or take."

Taichi's jaw opened. "Holy crap!" He thought to himself. "We're gonna live the good life after this mission."

"I'll cut you into, say 5%? I'm very trustful of you."

Taichi made some quick calculations. He'd get 2,500,000 yen, enough for a nice ship. Not that he'd dump _Peregrine_… "Sure, right away Zubla! When's takeoff time?"

"Midnight. You should arrive at half an hour later, spend fifteen minuets there, if all goes according to plan, you should be back before one twenty."

"Good, that doesn't interfere with Sora." Taichi said to himself. Sora had asked for him to meet her in the library at eleven that night, plenty of time. "OK, midnight, I'll be there Zubla." 

"Excellent. This is a very delicate operation, but I'm confident you can handle it."

Taichi thanked his boss then went into the main cavern. "Agumon, go warm up _Peregrine_, top condition." He hoped something wouldn't ruin his plans for the night.

Unfortunately for Taichi, luck was always absent in the most dire situations. 

"Hey! Sora!" The young man greeted from the door of the library. He was roughly shushed by the robot librarian. "I'm here." Taichi said quietly. 

"Taichi, I'm glad you made it. Listen, I have something to say."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I've… been in a lot of hot water with the kitchens. The head cook has been scolding me constantly for making mistakes. He says if I don't shape up, I'll be kicked out. I was planning on leaving tomorrow night, and I want to know, do you want to come with me? It'd be hard, but we could get by. You have _Peregrine_, we could fly somewhere else in the world."

"I don't know Sora, I have a job here, I like it, I make money."

"For how long Taichi?" Sora's voice rose, then fell again. "One mistake, and you could be kicked out. One bad mission and you could end up injured, or worse, dead. We could fly away from it all, go across the ocean. Maybe there's a city there that's better than Odaiba."

"I doubt it. The meteor took out most of the world. And besides, there's air pirates who'll shoot us down and cut our throats. It's not worth it."

"Do you have to be so negative?" Sora whispered. "What's wrong with looking on the bright side?"

"For me, there is no bright side." Taichi's head lowered.

Suddenly, a Gotsumon game scurrying in. "Excuse me, you're Taichi right?"

"Yeah."

"Change in plans for the takeoff time. Zubla wants you at your ship now."

"Alright, I'll be there in a second." He turned back to Sora. "I'll get going now. Don't leave without meeting me again one last time."

"OK, I promise."

Taichi exited the library, preparing for his most important assignment yet.


	4. Runaways and Rebellions

The year is 2300

"Reactor normal, systems ready, weapons, online. We're ready to go." Agumon reported. "What's up?" He noticed the blank look on his friend's face.

"Nothing much. Just thinking about Sora."

"Oh." Agumon put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "You've done that a lot lately."

"Yeah, so?"

"I dunno, I'm just getting the impression that you two…" His voice trailed off 

"What? Come out and say it!"

"That you two were becoming more than good friends." Agumon looked away.

"No way! There's no romance or anything."

"Well why not? She's really a nice girl."

"I don't want to get too close. Because one day, she'll be gone, and the more friendly I get, the harder it'll be to handle it." Taichi looked down.

Agumon was silent for a moment. "Jeez, you really should lighten up."

"I try, but it never works." 

The orange dinosaur sighed while shaking his head. "How did I end up working with the pilot who has no sense of friendship."

"If I didn't, you wouldn't be sitting next to me."

"Oh, well, uh…" Agumon was taken off guard, but he was saved when the comm unit buzzed to life. 

"Attention _Peregrine_, the Chimera Elite will be boarding now. Takeoff in ten minuets." Taichi lowered the ramp to let in the seven troops. Most were humans, but there was an Ogremon, sporting his bone-club weapon, and a Frigimon, who only needed his fists to cause havoc. They piled up into the hallways, hoping the pilot's ship was fast enough.

Taichi put a little power into the repulsion engines underneath his ship to turn and face the huge doors. Anxiously, he waited for the person to give him permission. Finally, the comm buzzed and Taichi was cleared to take off. The door creaked and shifted open like a giant's mouth. Careful not to scrape against other ships and freighters, he went nearly to the roof and feathered the throttle. Once he was clear, he wasn't so gentle. Shoving the throttle forward, _Peregrine_'s engines roared to life and kicked itself forward. Taichi decided to take a quick run to see how well his ship had been tuned. 

With silent exhilaration, he pushed _Peregrine_'s engines to the limit, going a full 450 kilometers an hour. Doing a wide, lazy turn, Taichi reminded himself to thank Zubla greatly for providing the funds to make his ship top-notch. 

"Uh… _Peregrine_? Are you going to proceed with the mission?"

"Oh, yeah, uh sorry." Taichi turned his ship around to the direction of Fuji Mansion he went off into the darkness

A half-hour, more or less, later, Taichi was hovering over the one-story building. As softly as possible, he touched down and let out Zubla's elite troops. It was silent outside, no crickets chirped, no bike engines roared, and no noise at all. Agumon shifted, waiting for something to happen. Taichi sat completely motionless. He was never fond of the dark. The lights in the cockpit were dimmed to the lowest setting, to avoid attention. The comm quietly crackled to life, and the voice of one of the humans spoke up. "Pilot, we've found the goods and have met no resistance. There's a lot of stuff, and we might not be able to fit all of it in your ship. Suggest we bring them outside the ship with a tow platform? There's one right here."

Taichi hadn't used them in awhile. They were basically just Eight by eight platforms with hover engines and a protective metal shield. "Yeah, sure. Any model fits on my ship."

"Right. We'll take a couple minuets to put the stuff on it." The comm turned itself off. Taichi waited. Breathing very deeply, Taichi spoke to Agumon. "Hey, it's been awhile. Want to check to see if everything's OK?"

"We're supposed to stay here." Agumon kept staring out the window

"I know, but, it's been at least 25 minuets. We should be getting out by now."

Agumon shook his head. "No, we'll wait a little longer."

"If you say so…"

The orange dinosaur chuckled. "What's with you Taichi? You're acting weird."

"Hunh? What're getting at?"

"Are you actually caring about these guys?"

"No way! I'm just tired. Loss of sleep makes you do weird things."

"Mm-hm, right."

"Will you shut up? I'm perfectly fine."

"Ever since Sora came along… 

Without warning, an enormous explosion rocked all of Fuji Mansion. Taichi bolted up, but didn't move. What was he supposed to do? Then there was another explosion, even bigger than before. A fireball erupted from the other end of the roof. Gunfire rang out as Taichi watched two of the Chimera Elite humans pulling the floating tow platform. "Pummel Whack!" cried out the Ogremon. He made another hole and climbed out of it, assisting another human as he tried to pull up a second tow platform. 

Everything was happening at ten times normal speed for Taichi. He only had time to see another tow platform come out. As soon as all three were attached, at least ten soldiers, dressed in odd, green uniforms began attacking Taichi's ship. Not with puny lasers, but large, threatening Pulse Cannons. They were so large and bulky it took two men to carry it. 

Taichi knew he couldn't stick around.

"Agumon, get us out of here!"

"Without Zubla's men?"

"Yes! Go!"

Agumon sighed. "Alright, but I blame you if we get in trouble."

With a roar, _Peregrine_'s engines sent its occupants forward with great momentum. Taichi avoided looking down at the confused faces of the seven Chimera Elite. The Fuji Mansion guards didn't quit. A powerful blue shaft of light ripped through the darkness. Taichi swerved to avoid being destroyed by it. Another laser shot upwards, and another. Taichi wasn't as fortunate. The three tow platforms were ripped to shreds.

Taichi groaned. This was a total failure. Zubla would skin him alive.

Zubla went from a nice, friendly approach, to an enraged tyrant in the space of that night.

"You not only abandoned my best troops, you lost 50 million yen worth of goods! I was trustful of you! I repaired your ship! I visited you constantly the days you cracked your head! You turn around and leave my Elite troops! I can't believe your irresponsibility, your stupidity, your… your… erg!" He couldn't speak anymore, except for one last sentence. "Get out!"

Eager to get away, Taichi quickly exited. Agumon sat on a bench, waiting. "Whew, he came down pretty hard on you."

Taichi said nothing and walked past him.

"Well, what now?"

"We're leaving."

"Come again?"

"Leaving. We can't stay here. Our wallet's as fat as it'll ever be." Taichi led Agumon back to their room.

"Oh man, I thought we'd stay here for a longer time. But, I guess you're right."

Taichi packed all of his belongings into a bag, then quietly walked out. But he didn't go to _Peregrine _right away. First, he needed to make a visit.

Sora was surprised to see her friend at the door. "Taichi, what're you doing here?" She saw the bag in his hand. "Oh no…"

"C'mon Sora, we have to go. I thought about what you said, and I guess I agree. We're out of here."

"Zubla never forgets a failed mission. I was just fired anyway."

Taichi nodded. "OK pack up. We'll leave in secret."

"Pack what?"

"Oh… yeah. That's OK. I've got about 80,000 yen. That should go a long way.

Sora closed the door behind her and silently followed behind Taichi.

No one in the group noticed the one blue eye watching from the shadows. 

"OK, reactor is completely recharged?"

"Yup. We have enough fuel to travel around the world twice." Agumon reported

"Good. We might have to."

Taichi ran one last system check. This was it, the fateful step. After this, he could never return to Zubla's place. He looked out the side of the windshield, at the door leading back into the main cavern. Sora joined him. "This'll be our last look inside of Zubla's place."

Sitting down in his seat, Taichi strapped in. "Don't even mention his name." He waited for Sora to strap in next to him. Agumon was in the gun turret, in case they met resistance. "What's done is done. Just look out into the future."

"I suppose you're right." Sora looked from one gauge that dotted the Heads Up Display to the other. "How hard is it to drive this?"

"If all the little lights are green, then you're fine."

Sora didn't reply.

"Here we go," Taichi mumbled. "This is _Peregrine_, requesting to leave Chimera Institute."

After a moment, the person replied. "Have you been cleared by Zubla?"

"Yeah." Taichi lied.

"OK then, one moment."

The massive metal doors rumbled and groaned as they shifted open. Taichi wasted no time taking off. The comm buzzed to life. "Hold it _Peregrine_! You're not going anywhere until I verify it with Zubla!"

"Do it Agumon." The pilot shouted to his friend. A threesome of red lasers fired at the room that housed the door controls. Just as he'd hoped, the doors froze with plenty of space for his ship to exit through. He slowly pushed the throttle, flew through the opening, and then roughly threw it forward. With a rock and jolt, _Peregrine _was in the sky, blasting out like a hornet from its nest. 

Sora was glad to be in a seat this time. The ride was nothing less then thrilling. A smile played across her face, and she decided on the spot, that she liked flying.

Lightly twirling upwards through the dark sky, Taichi felt at peace. Normally, _Peregrine _could hardly do such tricks without the threat of stalling. Taichi leveled out his ship's flight then said to Sora, "What do you say? Land or sea?"

Sora thought for a moment, then said, "I always loved the ocean when I was younger. Let's go across the Pacific."

Nodding, Taichi set a course straight across the enormous ocean. Then, he threw forward the throttle, getting a respectable 440 kilometers an hour out of _Peregrine_'s, then put on the autopilot. He reclined his seat, enjoying the sense of freedom. 

__

Peregrine was fully stocked with enough food and water for several weeks, and the reactor had plenty of fuel. They'd start a new life, find a job, and rent an apartment. The three of them, Taichi Sora, and Agumon…

Xantos grinned underneath his robes. The ship was headed over water. The tracking device worked perfectly. Within the safety of his small but nimble jet, the _Nightwing,_ the odd person began powering up the stealth generator, which rendered him completely invisible to both radar and the naked eye. Heat seeking missiles could still track the engine, but who would fire at what they didn't know was there?

With a mechanical chuckle, Xantos took off like an arrow into the black sky. "Watch your back Taichi…" He spoke his thoughts aloud. "You never know who'll sneak up…"

It was about 2 AM when Taichi and Sora decided to turn in. The pilot put his seat fully back to make a crude bed. Sora, after searching for the lever, did the same. Agumon was fine with the cushioned seat in the laser turret. Taichi turned off as many of the lights as possible. Only a few dull-green lights illuminated the cockpit. The quiet sound of the engine, and the fact it was so late, was enough to make Taichi and Sora sleepy. 

"Taichi," Sora mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"I'm… a little scared."

"Really? There's nothing to worry about."

"I know, but I still can't shake this feeling. That there's some… disaster that's going to happen."

"… Relax. Whatever happens, happens. Just stay close to me."

"Stay close to you?" Sora stifled a giggle.

"What?"

"That's not like you, getting all protective."

"Hey! I'm trying to be friendlier! I'll take it back if…

"No, no, it's alright. It's good to change for the better."

"Well maybe you should change too."

"What do you mean?"

Taichi shifted. "For starters, stop getting all worried."

"Oh, you're terrible! But it's OK to be worried, sometimes. That's what Mom always said…" Sora became silent. 

Taichi had a feeling she had tears in her eyes. He did something before thinking. Reaching out, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't think of the past. The future is much brighter. We can prosper." Sora seemed to be comforted by this. "Good" Taichi thought to himself. "What the hell was I thinking?"

"Taichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, and… good night."

"Night Sora." 

Sora's excited voice woke Taichi late the next morning. "Taichi! Look! A bird!" 

Dazedly the pilot woke up. He blinked his eyes a few times to clear his vision. A seagull was gliding far in front of _Peregrine_, but quickly closing in. Taichi realized what it meant. Land was nearby! But they weren't done yet. It could've just been that they were near one of the Pacific Islands. Angrily, his stomach rumbled and complained for food. "I'm, starving. You want something?"

"Yeah, OK." They both walked into the kitchen, to find Agumon halfway in the fridge, eating anything in sight.

"Hey! You didn't scarf the turkey, did you? I wanted some of it Pigmon!"

"Mmph, phorry Taiphi." Agumon said with his mouth stuffed. 

"Right, what'd you leave for me and Sora?" He looked in the much roomier fridge. "Want some fruit? There's a few uneaten ones left. Still have three gallons of water."

"Just some fruit I guess."

They had a quick lunch, then returned to the cockpit. Several more birds were flapping by. "Gotta be close now." Taichi's spoke his thoughts aloud. "There was a city on the coast before. San… San… San something. It was a pretty big city, might've lived through the meteor. 

"Tokyo didn't last."

"Tokyo was closer, I think."

"Where exactly did the meteor hit, anyway?"

"I think somewhere in Middle East. Iran, Afghanistan, maybe even as far as western China. Kicked up a lot of dust though. Never know what could happen."

Sora just nodded, only half listening. She couldn't shake off the feeling they were headed into danger. She thought about what Taichi had said; that you could choose your own path; that there was no such thing as destiny. "I chose to go with Taichi," Sora thought to herself. "I chose to trust in him… why do I still think this was all destiny?" Just one more question the heap she already had.

It was eight PM when Agumon saw the coast. 

'Taichi! Taichi! Taichitaichitaichi!"

"What!?" Taichi thought there was a fire.

"Land!" Agumon pointed a claw at the barely visible coastline.

Taichi gazed at the slowly oncoming beach. They'd made it past the ocean. It was an easy task, but something made it seem like a great achievement. 

Sora joined the two in the cockpit. "Finally got there… a day in this cramped ship is enough for me."

Taichi ignored the comment. "There's that San something place, to the right." The pilot switched off Autopilot, lightly turned several degrees to fly over the city, then pushed _Peregrine_ to it's max speed. 

Moments later, they were flying over San something. However, to their dismay, it wasn't much of a city. The buildings were fairly intact, most still had windows, and a few didn't have any cracks. The roads were bumpy, but still usable by pedestrians. Traffic signs and lights were up. There was just one thing that bothered Taichi. The whole city was empty. Not a single person, animal, or Digimon roamed the streets. No newspapers fluttered about at the mercy of the wind. No other ships roared overhead. It was a ghost town.

Touching down in the middle of a large clearing, Taichi, Sora, and Agumon stepped down the ramp. The air was hot, thick, and uncomfortable. Trees were sagging down as though they couldn't stand the heat either. There seemed to be a haze covering the city. 

"Well, looks like we made a bad choice." Taichi shook his head and sighed. "C'mon, there's nothing to see here."

But before they could turn to leave. Three people, clad in full body armor, helmets, and boots came walking down a nearby street. Agumon noticed them and got Taichi's attention. "Over there, who're they?"

"I don't know, but they're people." Taichi waved a hand at the three people. "Hello! Do you know where this is? Or why no one's here?"

Without warning, one of them raised a laser gun. 

Sora put her hands up. "We don't want to fight! We want to know where we are!"

Hesitantly, he lowered the weapon, then conferred with the others. After a moment, the leader spoke. "Come over here, we need to question you."

The three friends did so. 

"Do you know of anything that's going on here?" The leader, allegedly female because of her higher voice."

"No, we just arrived."

"From where?"

"Odaiba, Japan."

"Really? Made it past the Pacific without getting mugged by air pirates?"

"Yeah."

She nodded in admiration, then motioned to one of her comrades. "Give `em all a scan."

A green light produced from an odd device washed over Taichi, Sora, and then Agumon. "They're clean, all of them" A gruff voice told the female leader.

"Alright, we might as well report them back to the base. The guy and the Agumon look good for fighting. And the girl… ah, we need more medics anyway. Follow us." The three guards turned and walked the other way.

Along the way, the third person handed each of them air filters to put around their mouth. "Air's not very healthy around here since they shot the methane bomb."

"Who's they?" Taichi's voice was muffled under the awkward breathing device.

"You'll see when we get back to the base."

After a series of turns, they arrived at a large, four-story building. "Don't be fooled by it's appearance, we're a pretty big group. Most of HQ is underground. Protects against bomb attacks."

2 big guards wearing the same trademark armor stood on either side of the doors, each carrying a variety of guns. 

"We found these three near the park. Nothing on `em except a cash card on the guy."

Wordlessly, the person on the right opened the thick metal door. The group moved indoors, and the metal door creaked shut behind them. 

Inside was a bustle of activity. People went around, some empty handed, some with papers. Benches were filled with people and Digimon, mostly sleeping. In one corner, behind desks were people tapping away on computers. There was even a small booth that gave out food. The far wall was taken up by rows of elevators, all of them busy. It took awhile to find an empty one for all of them to go down on. When they boarded into the cramped space, the leader spoke aloud, probably to a computer. "General Skot Homidon's office." The elevator creaked for a moment, then shot down surprisingly fast. Lights flashed by through the transparent sides. 

After a moment, the elevator slowed, then stopped completely. Silently, the doors swooshed open to reveal a long hallway. At the end were more guards. The leader informed one of them about what'd happened, then he nodded and opened the large door. Inside was a spacious room, filled with paintings, pottery, and other old artifacts. A large desk filled with papers, pens, and three computers sat in front an old man. 

He wasn't just any old man though, the trio found out. He was the head of this whole place. His eyes were gray and warm, but the rest of his face wasn't. Thick wrinkles lined around his eyes and mouth. His white hair was long and pulled back. Along his face were several scars, a big one going from his bushy white eyebrows past his thick moustache and beard to his thin, cracked lips. He wore round, metal shoulder protectors, a good-sized cloak, and his shirt was baggy and filled with medals and badges. His boots were shiny black and well polished. 

General Skot Homidon stood up. His voice was deep and firm. "These are the three that are newcomers?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, leave us be, please." The three troops obeyed, leaving Taichi, Sora, and Agumon alone with Homidon. "So, I understand you three are from Japan?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, what brings you across the ocean to come here?"

"You see, it's pretty bad there. Lots of gangs and crime."

"I see. The General walked around his big desk. He was very tall and muscular up close. Taichi had to look up to see him. "Well then, I suppose you haven't heard about what's been happening here in the Morhin Union?"

"Morhin Union? Wasn't this called the United States before?"

"Yes, yes, that was before the meteor. Most of the US was in shambles. People were panicking and flooding the streets. But then a group rose up and took control. Their leader was a smart man named Morhin. He threw away the Constitution though, set up a monarchy. The power warped him, and he became merciless and cruel. He forces people to work with his Peacekeeper robots, and kills anyone who doesn't follow his orders. However… lately there have been a lot of uprisings. Most are small, but here, we have nearly 4,000 troops, 500 Powerarmor suits, and a full stock of lasers, artillery tanks, and explosives." He put his hands behind his back and walked around them, looking at his collection of relics from the past. "I started the Rebellion Against Morhin to stop him. He's gone too far. But I need all the help I can get." He turned to face the three watchers. "What do you say? Will you join our rebellion?"

Taichi, Sora, and Agumon looked among themselves. Agumon spoke first. "I'm in. I may eat and sleep more than anything, but I can't sit knowing there are people getting killed under the fist of some tyrant."

Taichi never heard Agumon this way. 

"I will too. If this will bring freedom to other people and for me, I'll fight for it."

General Skot Homidon looked at Taichi. The younger man blew out his breath. "I don't know. This isn't even my home country. Why should I fight for it?"

"Because, it'll help other people." Sora turned to Taichi. "Please Taichi, I can't fight without you next to me."

Taichi looked back up. "Well," he turned and smiled at Sora. "You've convinced me. I'm in too." 

Homidon smiled. "Very well then, welcome to the Rebellion Against Morhin. Otherwise known as RAM." 


	5. Meeting With the Past

General Skot Homidon gave Taichi, Agumon, and Sora a grand tour of RAM headquarters

General Skot Homidon gave Taichi, Agumon, and Sora a grand tour of RAM headquarters. It was a very large underground complex, but the aging man was concise. "Here's the Armory and hanger." He said as the elevator doors opened. We keep all the weapons and armor here, along with ships. We don't have a whole lot of ships, but we're strong on land." The doors closed, and then they went down a level. "Here's the training center. We have nearly every simulation for any situation on any difficulty." Down another level. "This is mainly the dorm level. We have rooms, a cafeteria, and an infirmary."

The elevator went down once more. "Machinery room. Gives us lights and power." The elevator stopped at the bottommost floor. "And finally, the shelter. Haven't had to use it yet, hope we never do. Been so long, I can't even imagine what lives down there."

Taichi nodded, absorbing all of the information. "If you don't mind, I'd like to return to the surface and bring my ship."

"Very well. Computer, ground level." With a jerk, the elevator rose upward. "So, you're a pilot?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Perhaps you'd like to meet my engineers. I'm sure you'll be fast friends after several missions." A half smile creeped up the General's face.

The next day was full of meeting people and learning RAM headquarters inside and out.

"So, what're the specs on these, Powerarmor things?" Taichi asked as he slipped on the large, armor-plated helmet.

"One 28mm machine gun, dual shoulder mounted Anti Infantry Missile Launchers, LXV-18 medium to long range laser, a six-pack of Jeron-Lasky B-40 grenades, a variety of tools, Titanium-Steel alloy body protection, a fold out shield, infrared and ultraviolet vision, voice activated computer, and a small jet pack." Wex, the enormous technician went through his memorized list.

"Cool. Does it have a CD player?"

"Nah. These are the cheaper models."

"Ah well, I'll get around it." Taichi moved around a bit in the Powerarmor. It felt surprisingly smooth and light. He opened the large visor. "Hey, got any training grounds or something? I'd love to take this baby for a spin."

Wex adjusted the red bandana covering his hair. "You could try the simulation." 

"Yeah, good idea." Taichi fumbled to remove the armor. When he was done, the little pager General Homidon had given him began beeping. Taichi read that he was to report to training center. "Speak of the devil… I gotta go for something, see you around Wex."

Wex waved a pudgy hand. "Later."

Taichi boarded a free elevator and got off at the training center level.

A dark skinned man was waiting for him. "You are Taichi Kamaiya?"

Taichi nodded.

"Follow me." The man turned and led him to the gun range. "It's an unwritten law that all RAM members know the functions of a laser gun."

"I know how to use `em." 

"Yes, well, even so, we'd just like to make sure of that." They arrived at the long hallway. Only a few of the dozen spaces were occupied. 

Taichi sped through the test, reloading, shooting, knowing what to do if it jammed; it was all just basic functions. He decided to stay a few more minuets to fine-tune his aiming. He slapped in another clip, aimed, and fired. The bright green laser hit a little outside the bulls-eye area and left a smoking hole.

"Not a bad shot." A scratchy voice complimented him. Taichi turned and saw a lizard-man like Digimon behind him. His green skin was rough and covered with scales, and his big, cat-like yellow eyes sent a chill down Taichi's spine.

"Thanks."

"Whaddya say to a contest? One shot, better score wins?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Great." The lizard Digimon pulled out his own weapon. "Computer, two player, one-shot game. Target, 30 meters."

The targets adjusted to the selected range. "You first." The lizard man motioned his clawed hand to Taichi's target. Carefully, he lined up the crosshairs to the bull's eye then fired. It hit in almost the exact same spot as last time, a little down and to the left. The five-foot tall lizard aimed and fired rather hastily, hitting an inch or so farther away from the red dot than Taichi.

"Winner, player one." The computer announced.

"Ah, lucky shot." The Lizard man banged his gun against the metal wall making a loud clang. "I'll beat ya` next time. By the way, name's Lizarddramon."

"Taichi, Taichi Kamaiya."

Lizarddramon nodded. "Say, you heard the latest news? They say there's been a lot of big blips on radar recently. The General's been on his toes, triple checkin` everything. If you ask me, I think Morhin's goons are out lookin` for us. Better prepare to wake up in the middle of the night with the alarm blarin`." He heavily slapped Taichi's soldier than chuckled like some old war veteran. 

Taichi decided Lizarddramon was the exact opposite, some headstrong rookie looking for a thrill. He said bye to the Digimon, then decided to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

Xantos flew low over the city, taking his time to weave through the buildings. Taichi was near; he could feel it in his few intact bones. The radar beeped several times to show there was someone or something approaching. Quietly, he landed his ship, and scanned the area with his red cybernetic eye. The telltale sign of pebbles bouncing on the pavement indicated it was something big. 

"Good, the bigger the better." Xantos thought to himself and half-smiled. 

A mighty roar rang out from less then 50 meters away. A menacing Tyrannomon stomped down the street, a tasty treat sighted in its enormous red eyes. Again it roared, eager to satisfy the hunger. 

Xantos watched calmly as it charged. The dinosaur Digimon's mouth was wide and gaping, saliva flying out. At the last moment, the daring android-person leaped out of the way and nimbly landed in a crouching position while the Tyrannomon's jaws closed around air. Confused, it stumbled over itself trying to regain balance, making it even more enraged. It's mighty tail swung around, coming within inches of Xantos as he flattened himself on the ground. 

Again, the Tyrannomon lunged, and again Xantos narrowly dodged the enormous teeth, this time, leaping impossibly high and landing on the Tyrannomon's neck. Furiously, the dinosaur tried to crush its tormentor by ramming into buildings. Each time, Xantos swung out of harm's way. Finally, tired out and frustrated, the Tyrannomon gave up and tried to escape.

"Coward." Xantos muttered as his foot long stiletto blade sprung up from his right forearm. Viciously, he stabbed it through the tough scales. Blood seeped out of the wound 

The Tyrannomon went insane with rage, swinging, bucking, even falling backwards on the ground to relive himself of the thing it thought would be its lunch. Twice more, Xantos slashed the enormous reptile's back. Roaring in pain, Tyrannomon began feeling woozy from blood loss. Its movements became sloppy; it's roars less powerful.

Finally, with one last roar, the enormous Digimon fell to the ground; defeated by something a fifth it's size. Xantos wiped his stained blade on his mass of robes and cloaks then slid it back into his forearm. Xantos, the half-human, half-android person who took down a Tyrannomon. He moved to the open mouth of the defeated Digimon, and with some effort, ripped out its largest fang, a healthy six inch one, as a small memento of his accomplishments.

"Taichi, I'm coming. Watch out." He thought to himself, and laughed his haunting mechanical laugh.

Taichi was exhilarated after a two-hour session at the training center. Granted, he'd been blown up in the simulator the first few times, but he got the hang of it and was soon blowing away computer enemies.

"Whew, I need something to eat, want to come with me Agumon?"

"No, I have to beat Sora at least once!" He was concentrating on some sort of sniper game. Sora was indeed, beating him, by a lot. 

"I don't know what it is, but I'm good at this." Sora fired and hit a virtual target dead center from nearly 50 meters away. "Really good."

"Maybe you should try as a sniper."

"No way, I couldn't handle the pressure."

"You never know…"

"Aw, I lost again." Agumon moaned as the words 'Game Over' flashed on the screen. 

Sora continued playing, hitting every target in the bulls-eye range. Her breathing was light, her hands calm and not a drop of sweat rolled down her face. When she came to the Speed shooting, she hit every target in the center. Her score was nearly perfect after each simulation. 

"How about something a bit harder?" Taichi set the difficulty to it's highest. Sora was put in crazy angles as she tried to snipe at tiny targets. There was even a hostage simulation that required her to shoot the gun out of the kidnapper's hand from 100 meters. Still, she dominated the game, completing each level with incredible skill. 

Sora decided she'd had enough and turned off the game. "Doing this for an hour is making my eyes cross. Want to get something to eat?"

Without warning, a loud alarm blared out. Simulators darkened but were replaced by flashing red lights. "All soldiers, report to armory! Repeat all soldiers report to armory! Medics, engineers, report there as well."

"Shit…" Taichi mumbled under his breath as he bolted for the busy elevators.

"C'mon Sora, maybe they have a sniper gun or something!" Agumon followed Taichi to the armory level.

"What? I can't…" Sora knew she couldn't bring herself to kill people. But there had to be something she could do.

Taichi was in a Powerarmor suit within five minuets and one of the first to board the elevator going directly to the surface. As daylight appeared, Taichi saw a mass of figures approaching. From the radio, General Homidon gave all the RAM troops a quick briefing. "Radar shows about fifty Peacekeeper droids and a dozen Tankmons. We shouldn't have a problem, this is a scout force, but watch your backs!"

Choosing the laser, Taichi ran with several other bold RAM fighters. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Taichi took a single shot at the closest robot. They were ugly creations, a wiry, misshapen humanoid torso sat upon four flexible, spider-like legs. The arms were a pair of machine guns, and the rectangular head had a pair of blood red eyes. They looked like walking junk heaps, but they were tough. Taichi's laser scored a hit right in its shoulder but it only flinched and continued walking.

"They can take a lot of punishment, don't waste your power." Lizarddramon ran up from behind him. He launched a pair of rockets, hitting right in front of the same Peacekeeper. It blew off an arm and a leg. It continued onward, limping awkwardly. Switching to the arm-mounted machine gun, Lizarddramon emptied several rounds of bullets. The robot twisted hideously, bullets ripped through its body. After the onslaught, it still had an arm left, which it used to slowly crawl. It approached Taichi and the Digimon, and weakly tried to raise its remaining arm. Shaking his head in pity, Taichi crushed its head with his boot.

"Programmed not to feel fear. They never retreat unless directly ordered to. C'mon, there's more coming!" Lizarddramon leaped into action, his machine gun roaring as it fired dozens of bullets.

Taking one of his grenades, Taichi headed for another droid and hurled the bomb to it. In a fiery explosion, the Peacekeeper was blown to bits, and shrapnel briefly rained down. Taichi turned in time to see another Peacekeeper behind him, using his arm as a club. Using his laser, the young pilot cut straight through the chassis and hitting the power core. The thick armor protected Taichi from the burst of heat, although the polished metal was bit scorched. 

A sudden pain in his shoulder brought Taichi out of his brief feeling of victory. Another droid had sneaked up from behind. Several bullets breached the armor, hitting flesh and bone. Groaning with pain, Taichi faced the Peacekeeper, a gun barrel pointed right at his face.

Preparing for death, Taichi winced, hoping it'd be quick. Suddenly, a laser ripped right through the robot's head. For a moment, the Peacekeeper comically stood above it's surprised target, headless, and then fell upon Taichi. Darkness formed around his eyes from blood loss. The last thing he remembered was hearing the words, "Get a medic! He's hurt!" and seeing a face that seemed familiar, short brown hair, dark eyes, and a radiant smile as she said, "You'll be OK."

For the second time in his life, a sharp pain awoke Taichi, this time in his shoulder. A single female doctor was at a table, doing something with test tubes. A groan from her patient got her attention. "Oh, you're awake, good. How are you feeling?"

"Have you seen my dignity lying around?" Taichi covered his face with his hand. "Can't believe I got sneaked up on like that."

"Oh don't worry, happens to all the rookies. Ever met that youngster, Lizarddramon? He once came in here crying like a baby when his arm was just burnt a bit." 

Taichi managed to chuckle, despite his bruised ego. The doctor approached him, carefully taking off the large gauze bandage. She used some rubbing alcohol to kill any infections, then reapplied a fresh bandage. "You should be able to walk around in a few hours, and that bandage can come off in a week or so." 

The injured man nodded slowly. He couldn't help but stare at the doctor, for she set off some old spark in his memory. "You know, you remind me of someone, I can't think of who though."

Slowly, the young woman put down the old gauze. "Actually, you do to. What's your name?"

"Taichi Kamaiya."

The woman's eyes opened wide with disbelief. Shock crossed her face. "Oh my God, Taichi, I'm your sister, Hikari!"

Then it was Taichi's turn to be shocked. "No... no, you can't be, that's impossible!"

"Really, it's me! You see, when I was at the hospital… and I... then…" Hikari tried to explain everything at once.

It was too much for Taichi's aching head. "Wait, we'll talk about it over lunch."

"Lunch?" Actually it's five PM."

"Right, just let me get some more sleep before anything. I'm dead tired."

"OK, I'll leave you be. Have a good rest." She quickly left the room.

Taichi shook his head. Hikari was still her sweet, caring, unselfish self.

Later that night, Taichi and his sister sat with Sora and Agumon at a cafeteria table. The food was meager, but they all managed to keep it down. 

"So, you're Taichi's sister? And you haven't seen him in how many years?"

"Eight years." Hikari replied. "Where'd they all go?"

Taichi wanted to get straight to the point. "What happened after that day, eight years ago?"

"I still remember it clearly, after all I went through." Hikari began. "I really was sick with pneumonia, but it wasn't life-threatening. Our parents couldn't pay the hospital bill though, so the only thing they could do was put me up for adoption. Almost immediately, a response came from halfway around the world, in the U.S. I was sent there a day later, with nothing but the clothes I was wearing. As it turned out, the place was a labor camp." Hikari paused, gathering up her will. "I saw a lot of people die under the slave driver's whip. Fortunately, he took a liking to me and I got be a house servant. Two years later, a rebellion group against Morhin, and they took over the place and made it a town. Life wasn't too bad; some nice old people brought me in. For years afterward, I heard stories about the outside world, how Morhin was a tyrant, how resistance factions were everywhere. I wanted to join one, because I'd learned healing skills from when I was a house servant, so I thought I could put them to good use. I ran away with a band of travelers and I ended up here at RAM. They taught me a lot about medicine and curing injuries. A year leader, I'm a field medic and one of the best doctors here." Hikari finished. 

"Wow, that's quite a tale." Agumon said. "What a coincidence you two would meet up again."

"Yeah, it's amazing." Sora agreed though not with as much enthusiasm. 

"So how did _you_ get here?" Hikari asked.

Taichi went through his own eight-year history, talking about _Peregrine_, his small trading business, and meeting with Agumon and Sora. How he worked for Zubla and ended up here. 

Hikari nodded slowly throughout her brother's words. "Well, looks like we've both had it rough." All four occupants of the table had cleared their tray and put them in a huge sink. 

They agreed to turn in for the night, and said good night to each other.

Taichi could barely sleep at all after all the events that happened, but eventually he drifted off.

"Hah, you think you can beat me with that wimpy tin can?"

"Tin can? At least mine has a stick that works right."

"I got it repaired weeks ago. And I'll take that as a challenge. Last one past that mountain has dinner on them"

"You're on!"

Both _Peregrine_ and _Windrider_'s engines roared to full power. 

"I'll be having the Grand Sushi Platter, thank you." _Peregrine_ lurched ahead of it's opponent.

_Windrider_'s pilot snickered into the comlink. "I have not yet begun to race!" With a great explosion of power, _Windrider's _afterburners sent it hurtling forward at nearly 500 kilometers per hour. 

_Peregrine's_ pilot slammed his left fist on the wall. "Hey! You didn't tell me you had afterburners!"

"Hahaha, I'll see you at the Konesha Restaurant!"

"You loser! That's the most expensive place in town!"

"Hey, something's wrong with my controls, the stick is unresponsive."

The other pilot took it seriously. "Slow down, forget this race."

"No, no, I got it."

"Yamato, pull out!"

"I can make it, don't worry…" Yamato's voice was quavering.

Taichi immediately hit the brakes. This race was getting dangerous.

"Taichi, there's a huge tree coming up, I can't maneuver! Help!

"Get out of there!"

"No, I'm not losing _Windrider_!"

"Eject you dumbass! Your life is more important than any ship!"

"Oh, God! I can't stop! Everything's gone dead!"

"Yamato!"

"Taichi! Aughhh!"

A horrendous explosion followed after the heart-racking scream.

Taichi awoke completely matted with sweat and gasping for breath. "Another dream, dammit, why does this happen so often_?_" Taichi stood up out of bed wiping perspiration from his eyes. "5 AM, what a time to wake up." Slowly walking to the bathroom, Taichi looked in the mirror. A red eyed lost and lonely young man peered back. "Gotta put this all behind me." The nightmare plagued teen mumbled. "Gotta look at the future, that's all that I can do."


	6. Approaching Storm

Xantos wandered through the large city, not knowing where he was going or why

Xantos wandered through the large city, not knowing where he was going or why. His metal boots clicked and echoed in a steady beat. As he neared the outer fringes of the city, the robotic human noted many seedy buildings and old houses. Eventually, he heard the sound of conversation and fires crackling. His left eye, which was also a mini monocular, focused forward. He easily saw the gang of humans, Digimon, and robots. They were armed with only small blasters and the robots appeared primitive compared to his own state-of-the-art metal armor. 

Xantos walked into the camp.

Digimon and humans clicked the safety's off, wondering the same thing; Who in their right mind would walk right into a Morhin Union Army camp? 

A Peacekeeper droid walked directly in front of the intruder. It was a sad mistake, the robot was programmed to not think of it's own safety. "This is a restricted area, no civilians may…" A quick slice from Xantos's stiletto blade across the droid's thin neck cut it's speech off forever. 

"Anyone else wish to tell me off?" Xantos asked the wide-eyed squadron. A dozen Peacekeepers jumped him at once. Though caught by surprise, Xantos was quickly in charge of the fight. With impossibly fast reflexes, he slashed, hacked, and thrust, with his short blade, wreaking havoc and sending bits of metal and wires. 

Less than a minuet later, Peacemaker carcasses were strewn about the amazing fighter's feet. "Now then, where's the leader of this pathetic army?"

"This 'pathetic army' is Morhin's 3rd Scout force, one of the most experienced and powerful teams in the army." A huge, grizzled man with a burly moustache easily pawed his way through the crowd. "What the hell do you think you're doing coming in here and destroying our Peacekeeper droids! These cost thousands of dollars each!"

Xantos had to look up to glare at the commander's eyes. "Tell me something my good man." He reached down and picked up a random piece of metal. "Is this what you call top-of-the-line or do you simply enjoy throwing money away?"

The crowd murmured comments to each other at the odd man's bravery. 

Anger flared briefly in the leader's eyes. "Perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Commander Jackson of the Morhin…"

Before he could finish, Xantos had waved a hand and said, "Oh, don't try to impress me with all your military mumbo jumbo."

Jackson snarled in rage.

"Now now, no need to get frustrated. Perhaps we can work together."

The Commander forgot his anger. "What do you mean? Are you part of the Morhin Army?"

"No, actually I came here following someone. You wouldn't mind telling me what's been happening here, I'm a foreigner."

Jackson shrugged. "Nobody tells me nuttin`. All I knows is that Morhin wants to crush any rebellion that stands in his way. We've lately discovered a new faction called RAM."

Xantos nodded, thinking to himself. _Taichi is surely here. This is my chance._ "I shall join your squadron, but only if I receive immediate promotion to second in command. I'm sure my, ahem, resume is enough proof of my skills." 

Jackson leaned to glance again at the wreck of machines. "Done deal. But you're payin` me back for those Peacekeepers."

"Of course… Commander." Xantos did a light salute. "Now then, what's are next plan?"

Sora stood in front of General Skot Homidon. He was in one of his rare, light and easygoing moods. 

"Sora, I've called you here because we've noted your… abilities. I apologize for any privacy violations, but we secretly record and observe high scores in the simulator room. You have nearly double the score of our previous sniper."

"Er… if you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?" 

"Missing in action. Sent him to assassinate Morhin's previous right hand man or in that case, Digimon. He did the job, but we assumed he was captured."

"Sir, I don't think I like the idea. Killing people secretly, it seems so cold-blooded. And then there's the thing with getting captured or killed. Couldn't I just run the show from behind?"

"I'm sorry Sora, but we're in a jam. We've been in a defensive position for a while. A sniper could let us regain territory, especially one with your skill."

"No, I couldn't handle the pressure!"

"Oh, yes, almost forgot. Homidon reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills. "New design. Made to keep your nerves steady and supposedly not habit-forming. Careful though, too much and you'll be out like a light." He tossed the tube to her. 

Sora caught it, and looked it over. Only five pills small, white pills were inside. "Sir, this all happening so fast, can't I take the day to think about it?"

"I'm sorry for the suddenness, don't worry, we'll start with relatively easy missions."

Sora sighed. There was no point in arguing. _Damn you, fate_. She thought to herself.

Taichi was bored. He sat on a large box watching Wex show off his bombs. "This one's my first ever. Made it when I was fourteen." He suddenly pressed the detonate button. 

Taichi's eyes bugged as the timer counted down from five. "Are you insane!?" He yelled, hitting the small bomb out of Wex's hand. He then dove for shelter behind a pile of crates. 

The bomb technician's laughing broke the tension. "Relax Taichi, hasn't exploded in ten years, never will. Never figured out what went wrong…"

"Dude, you trying to make me piss in my pants?" Taichi didn't think it was funny.

"Sorry, can't help but do that to all the new guys. Makes `em get the impression I'm crazy." 

"You _are_ crazy." Taichi observed the set of explosives. "What's this one?" Taichi picked up an enormous oblong stainless steel shelled bomb. The only thing that obscured its mirrored armor was a panel with a number display. 

"That's my biggest one, call it _Judgement_. I'd say you'd get a blast of nearly half a mile in diameter. Woah! Careful there! It's got a core of nitro glycerin. Nearly two gallons in there."

Taichi carefully placed it down. "That's why it's in a metal casing, right?"

"Metal casing is just so it doesn't detonate under heat or extreme handling. When it's in the last ten seconds, the metal coat falls off. 

The amazed pilot shook his head. "You have too much time on your hands to make these."

"They'll come in use one day."

"Right…"

Lizarddramon suddenly barged in. "Hey, we got patrol duty, suit up guys."

"Patrol duty? Since when?"

"It's one of Homidon's regulations. Everyone pulls their weight." Wex explained.

"Price of heroism." Taichi muttered. 

It was a cool, cloudy day above ground. Everything seemed to be in shades of gray. Taichi chatted with Wex and Lizarddramon. 

"So, how long have both of you been here?"

"I came here about three months ago. Wex is one of the original founders." The lizard man Digimon replied. 

"Along with your sister." Wex added. "Homidon was only planning on making a shelter for the victims of Morhin's greed. He kinda went above and beyond though. Nice guy, Homidon, but he can be stubborn."

"Tough as nails though. By the way Taichi, who's that girl you brought along? Sora is her name right?"

"Yeah, so what about her?" Taichi hated getting into conversations like these.

"Where'd you pick her up? Or is she your girlfriend or somethin`?" Lizarddramon asked.

"Nah, a gang destroyed her house, and we became friends after that." 

"Friends, right." The helmet next to Taichi muttered.

"Oh, shut up! I'm serious!"

Lizarddramon spread his arms. "Hey, don't take it like that. She seems like a nice girl though, you should consider yourself lucky. Wasn't she the one that saved your life the other day?" 

Taichi had had enough of this. "Why can't anyone just leave this subject alone? Sora's nice I'll admit that, and maybe I've gotten interested into her, why does everyone have to make it so complicated?"

Lizarddramon sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry, take it easy, you're really uptight, you know?"

Taichi looked over at Wex, who was standing still and silent. "Wex?"

"Oh God… look."

Taichi and Lizarddramon exchanged glances then walked over to Wex. They followed his eyes to see a gruesome sight as well as a rancid smell. A dead Tyrannomon lay in a heap, dried up blood surrounding it. Its jaw was slightly slack, a lifeless pink tongue dangled out. Its eyes were rolled up and white.

"Jesus Christ, what did this?" The astonished Digimon said in awe.

No one replied. Taichi took a few steps forward. Something didn't feel right about this place. "What do you think? Another Digimon? Some crazy band of pirates?"

Wex and Lizarddramon followed behind him reluctantly. "Phew! Sure wish Digimon get deleted like they used to, this one's going to stink up the neighborhood for quite awhile. Wex commented, waving a hand in front of his face 

"Wait, look right there, couple of punctures in the skin on it's back." Taichi observed.

"Only thing that could make a hole that clean is a laser, or a blade." Wex spoke his thoughts aloud.

"A blade? Heh, who'd use a blade nowadays?" Taichi swallowed back his fear. _No way Xantos is here._

"You're right, probably just some drunken group of pirates with a really big laser. All kinds of wackos nowadays" Lizarddramon jumped to the ground. "Let's keep going."

Wex and Taichi agreed and followed their friend. 

No sooner had they walked away when all three troops heard the sound of steel hitting steel from over a short hill. "I'll go and investigate, wait here." Taichi said as he dropped to the ground and slowly crawled nearly to the top. He peered over, and silently gasped. A whole enemy camp! Taichi remained motionless, afraid to even breathe. His voice was hardly a whisper as he told his comrades to mark their position and head back to base.

"Right, stay there Taichi, we'll come back with all of RAM's troops." Wex and Lizarddramon trotted off."

Taichi trembled, checking his laser's safety for the third time. Unfortunately for the pilot, his luck had deserted him again. An Otamamon had wandered near him, and began pestering Taichi for food.

"Hey mister, spare some food?"

"Quiet! No I have none on me!"

"Aw come on! I'm hungry! Please?"

"I said shut up, unless you want to be blown to ashes!" Taichi hissed rather loudly.

Too loudly.

A sentry heard the high pitched voice and the harsh response. He decided to investigate. 

Taichi cursed at himself, then waited for the sentry to come close enough. When his foot was in reach, Taichi lashed out and dragged the sentry down. The soldier quickly realized what was happening and yelled out for help before Taichi elbowed him in the stomach. 

Everyone's attention was caught, and Taichi bolted.

No sooner had Xantos sat down in a tent, the camp exploded into action. The sudden sound up guns being drawn and shouting caused him to peer outside. Every soldier in the camp was running up the hill to see what had happened. Xantos was still in a fighting mood, and decided to join the action.

Taichi couldn't recall ever running faster. Down random paths he tore, only more motivated to run when explosions came frighteningly close. Judging the distance between himself and the rampaging army, Taichi ran into a rotting warehouse, then threw three Jeron-Lasky B40 grenades in random directions. He quickly ran out the other side. Taichi's plan almost worked, except the grenades exploded early. About a third of the force though, was under the roof when the whole building collapsed. 

Taichi caught his second wind and continued running.

Xantos groaned as he watched the building collapse on nearly 100 troops and Digimon. "Well, it appears our prey is more clever than we thought." He spoke aloud. "We haven't lost him yet, come on!"

Taichi realized he was in a tight spot. He was at the city limits where the land became flat and he could be easily spotted. RAM HQ was near the center of the city. He'd have to go straight through the enemy force. 

"Computer, can you give me a map of the city?" A small map appeared in the right corner of his vision. "Now show the RAM building and my position." A small building glowed red in the center, quite far from the Taichi's white dot. "Computer, what's the shortest distance between here and RAM HQ?" The map changed to a system of complicated lines. 

"The sewer system is connected to nearly every building in San Francisco. A manhole is within 500 feet of RAM HQ."

__

That's the name, San Francisco! Taichi looked around and spotted the lid to a tunnel going down. He pulled off the top then sighed. "Man, being a hero really sucks sometimes." Taichi climbed down the ladder into the darkness.

Lizarddramon and Wex burst through the door to the RAM building. The huge bomb technician punched the intercom. "Emergency, code red! Enemy camp has been found and marked! Request immediate attack!"

All of RAM HQ exploded in activity. People and Digimon ran everywhere at once, shouting orders and heading to the Armory. Within a minuet, General Skot Homidon had reached the ground level. He directly approached the two troops and demanded, "Status report!"

Lizarddramon saluted and rapidly explained everything. "Sir! Scout Patrol discovered an enemy camp about 3 miles away, in the southeastern outskirts of the city sir! Private Taichi Kamaiya stayed behind to mark their location while me and Wex came to rouse the alarm sir!"

Homidon nodded. "Good work, though I would've preferred if Taichi had come with you."

A young man rushed to the General. "Sir, our radar has detected a lot of movement in the southeastern sector."

"Looks like Taichi's raised the army."

"Hope he's alright." Lizarddramon said sullenly.

"Taichi's too tough to die." Sora had popped up out of nowhere. She carried an old bullet-style sniper rifle and had a light set of armor on, including a belt with half a dozen clips, electronic binoculars, and the case of pills Homidon had given her.

"Sora, glad to see you've made up your mind." The General smiled.

"Yeah, I decided that not doing anything is worst than helping to make peace, even if it means killing."

"Then let's get a move on." Homidon turned on the P.A with a small Master comlink. "All units, report outside, I'll brief you from there." He flicked off the switch then pulled his favorite gun from his holster. A powerful .778 caliber Grizzly Super-magnum, powerful enough to pierce three inch thick steel. "We'll find the enemy camp, attack, and find Taichi, in that order."

Taichi followed the map of the sewer, turning left and right, brushing off slime and small creatures and opening rusted doors. He'd lost track of time in the dark tunnels, but he figured it was late afternoon. He had tried to eat some of the ration bards, but they were mostly tasteless. When he was about a half mile from the exit, he became weary. Thick sludge and fatigue slowed his paced down. This was only made worst when his headlight began to dim, and he encountered a caved in section. The passage was completely blocked by stones and debris. 

Sighing loudly, Taichi leaned against the slick wall. "Hey computer, does this suit have some kind of recording device?"

"Negative."

"Too bad, thought if I died down here, I'd at least leave a message."

The computer didn't respond.

"Computer, can you patch me into one of RAM's frequencies?"

"Usage of comlinks is restricted to emergencies because of the possibility of enemies intercepting."

"This IS an emergency."

After a few minuets and a set of clicks and beeps, the computer reported, "Unable to comply, the walls are too thick for this suit's radio.

Taichi opened the visor on his helmet, rubbed his eyes then flipped it back down. He switched to his laser, setting it to the lowest power to save his dwindling supply. These Powerarmors were not meant to be used for more than a few hours at a time.

Just as he was aiming, the computer spoke up. "May I suggest something?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"These tunnels are very old and brittle. Dismantling things at such a large scale could result in a deadly cave-in."

"Didn't think of that, thanks computer."

"You're quite welcome."

Taichi powered down the laser, then set to work pulling stones out of the barrier.

Agumon was immediately worried when he heard Taichi was missing. He hadn't seen his friend in awhile because of his new duties as a mechanic. It was fun though, to know he could fix _Peregrine _if need be.

At that moment, he was helping a human engineer fix up an old hover car. Supposedly, it was one of the fastest models, even today. Agumon was a bit skeptical though.

"All it needs is a pair of fusion engines. Then it'll go just as fast with a quarter the cost for fuel."

"Yeah, but if anything pierces the reactor, you'll have a crater for a grave."

"So we'll put an extra set of titanium casing around it."

"If we can scrounge up enough of it. Titanium is expensive."

"Listen, we can make this car work, just get a single fusion engine for me."

"We don't have one here. There might be one in the basement."

The engineer looked expectantly at Agumon. "So, go get it." 

"I'm not going down there! No one's been down there for years!"

"Well, you'll be the first in years, go on, there's nothing down there but bugs and slime."

"And leeches, and Raremons, and other parasites that'll suck the blood out of me."

"So hit `em with your wrench or toast them with that attack you have."

Agumon groaned. _No arguing with this guy_. 

Agumon had decked himself out with any gun he could fit into his pockets. _Thank you God for carpenter pants that fit Digimon._ He thought to himself as the elevator doors opened. A dark cavern was all that greeted him. Within a few paces, the light was swallowed up by the blackness. Agumon's flashlight was hardly less than a fog light and brightly illuminated the dull metal walls and ceiling. Rust and mold dotted the walls periodically down the steep decline. About 300 feet down, the floor leveled out. 

Agumon encountered a computer several minuets later. He reached up and brushed off the dust off the monitor. _Now where's the Power button, if this thing even still works. _Agumon pushed several random buttons. _C'mon, where are you? _Finally, a crackle of electricity announced he'd hit the right button. It was a substantial amount of time before the computer was ready. 

"Computer, access map database." Agumon waited for an answer. The computer didn't respond. _Voice activation is standard these days, this computer must be twice as old as me. _Awkwardly, Agumon pressed some of the keys. They only brought Agumon to odd, unintelligible strings of words and symbols. Agumon sighed and was ready to turn off the ancient computer, when it showed a simple sentence. 

"Open Blast Door? Y/N"

Blowing dust off the keyboard, Agumon tapped the Y key. Echoing loudly, a huge metal door creaked open, shaking dirt off itself. Inside, another long ramp led even farther down. 

Agumon shifted the huge flashlight to his other claw and continued farther down into the earth.

Meanwhile, General Homidon was busy organizing all of the troops. It took quite some effort, as many eager fighters wanted to attack immediately. Soon enough though, three groups had been made. One team, made of half the Powerarmor troops, would lead a frontal assault, while the other two teams would attack from behind and to the right. This way, the enemy would have to retreat onto the tidal flats where they would no cover. Years ago, there was an ocean there, but it had long retreated for unknown reasons. 

"OK, everyone ready? Move into position. I'll lead the charge. Wait for my shot. Let's take `em out!"

Taichi was making little progress in the sewers. The blockade turned out to be a lot thicker than expected, and boulders nearly as big as Taichi were difficult to even shift. _This was a stupid idea. I should probably go back above ground._ Leaving the mess behind, Taichi headed the other way. 

Before he got 10 paces, the ground shuddered beneath him. Jumping back in surprise, Taichi waited. Nothing moved for a moment. _Aw man; don't tell me this place is sitting on a plate like in Japan. _He breathed slowly, as though he would set off another tremor if he made any sudden movements. Taichi stood up, deciding it was just a small quake, and continued on.

Agumon had felt the tremor as well. Only a bit of some dirt had loosened from the ceiling. He had found a large room with several doors expanding out. He brushed the dust off the signs until he found "Control Room. Danger! Authorized Personnel Only!" Agumon fiddled with the locked door's handle, but it broke off easily. The door screamed for oil as Agumon opened it, creating such a ruckus, he was afraid of disturbing blood sucking creatures. 

Training the flashlight across a row of control panels, monitors, and seats, Agumon spotted a lever on the wall. _Now let's see, _Agumon approached it with curiosity. _How do I turn this stuff on? _He gripped the lever and yanked with all his might. It budged little by little, until the pole gave out and sent Agumon flying skidding on his back. Gently rubbing the injured area, Agumon heard a generator begin to power up. Dim lights revealed a row of switches. Each one had a label above it. Agumon went to the first one, which read "Lights" 

__

Well, why not? Agumon grunted as he flipped up the rusted switch. The lights flickered several times, then warmed up to a pale yellow. It was still dark, but Agumon didn't need his flashlight on to see. The dinosaur Digimon continued flipping switches, including "Air Filters" "Running Water" "Climate Control" and "Cleaning Robots." Agumon returned outside, finding the room to be filled with little droids scattered about, returning to work after years of dormancy.

__

Heh, cool. Agumon checked the doors and found "Supply Room." _OK, time to find that fusion generator._ He opened the door, which was just as loud as the previous, and found cobwebs and dust covering sheets of metal, old outdated guns, and random parts to ships. 

__

C'mon, where are you, you little bugger? Agumon dug through the pile of junk. 

The battery gauge in Taichi's Powerarmor was fading to nothing. Even Life Support was at minimal use. The air was thick and hot in the sewers, not to mention smelly. Weary of traversing through the tunnels, Taichi fell down heavily. He was out of rations, and water, and it was another two and a half miles back out.

__

Man, I feel like crap. He tilted his head back, staring at the blank details of the sewer roof. After a moment, a dirt clod landed on his faceplate. Reaching up to brush it away, he only discovered two more bits of dirt fall on him. In fact, pieces of dirt were shaking lose all over the cavern. The particles turned into chunks, which became entire sections. The ground was trembling again. This time, more violently and longer. Taichi stood up, only to fall again as the earthquake doubled in power. 

Thinking quickly, Taichi pulled out his shield, and held it upwards. Rocks clanged against it for what seemed like an eternity, until, as fast as it had started, the tremor stopped. 

__

I gotta get out of here before I'm crushed. Still tired, but motivated, Taichi continued on.

He got about ten feet when noticed a thin beam of light protruding from the roof. Taichi reached up and prodded the hole. Street pavement rained down on his helmet. For a moment, he stared in silence, then burst into action chipping away at the barrier between him and fresh air. The thick metal gloves easily dulled out the pain as Taichi jumped to knock off chunks of the cracked rock. Several minuets later, Taichi broke through and let orange, afternoon sunlight into the gloomy sewer. Cheering in silent victory, he jumped several times to get a hold of the edge. Through some unknown force, the exhausted soldier pulled his aching body out from the sewers. 

He lay on the ground and smiled, stretching his sore joints.

"What're you so happy about?" A familiar robotic voice said as cold steel prodded Taichi throat.


	7. Heat of Battle

Sweat immediately formed on Taichi

Sweat immediately formed on Taichi. He tried to remain calm, but his composure deserted him.

"Well now, it appears our little mouse has gotten to a dead end." He tapped the visor with flat of his stiletto. "Get up." He ordered. 

Taichi quickly did so, not wishing to anger Xantos. 

"What should we do wit` `em?" A human soldier carelessly tossed his blaster. He roughly poked the muzzle under Taichi's chin. "I say we kill `em. One less RAM to worry about."

Commander Jackson smacked the soldier in the stomach, sending him sprawling and out of breath. "Idiot. Don't speak outa` turn." He turned to Taichi. "First we'll squeeze some information outta` him. The we'll kill him."

Many troops were amused by this and laughed heartily. Taichi remained silent all this time, dreading the future. There was at least 30, plus Xantos himself who probably counted as another 10. 

"So then, how about telling s RAM's secrets, like for example, where it is."

Taichi knew he couldn't reveal his identity in front of Xantos at a time like this. He also knew he couldn't impersonate someone else. He decided to act like he lost his voice. He pointed to his neck, then rubbed it gingerly.

"What's the matter with you?" Xantos questioned the silent soldier. 

Thinking quickly, Taichi imitated being slashed in the throat. The stares were embarrassing but Xantos seemed to buy it.

"Looks like he's a mute." Xantos looked at Jackson and shrugged.

Grunting, Jackson's fist came crashing down on Taichi's shoulder. 

Taichi couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"He ain't no mute! He's holding out!" Jackson roared.

This did not please Xantos. He grabbed Taichi's neck and held the deadly blade in front of his faceplate. It could easily penetrate the Plexiglas. 

The computer suddenly came to life. Its voice was distorted from low battery power, but it said "Tectonic movement detected sir. Recommend using the jetpack."

The earth jolted, sending all of the soldiers to their feet. Taichi yelled "Jetpack on!" Unfortunately, he was in the middle of his fall, and blasted off going horizontal about two feet from the ground. 

Peregrine_ is nothing like this!_ The jetpack quickly burnt out though, and Taichi was sent rolling out of control a little ways before he got up and dizzily continued. He'd put a good distance between himself and the soldiers, who were mere specks in the horizon. Grinning to himself, the resourceful pilot continued on.

"I don't like it sir." One of General Skot Homidon's lieutenants said. "There's been 3 quakes in the last few hours, each more powerful than the last."

"Continue with mission." Homidon said sharply. "We've seen plenty of earthquakes, we won't back down for just one."

"Yessir." The soldier said halfheartedly. The squad continued jogging to the enemy. Not a minuet later, he spoke again. "Some big patches on the radar dead ahead sir!" 

"ETA to arrival?"

"2 minuets."

Homidon looked ahead. Between his force and the enemies was an old church. "All units, halt!"

The troops immediately came to a stop, some bumping into each other. They intently waited for his next command.

"If your Powerarmor number ends in an even number, split up and head into nearby buildings. Shoot from windows. The rest, get into order, 20 wide and 5 deep. Wait for my shot. Do not shoot at the church at any costs!"

Lizarddramon nudged Wex. "Religious guy, ain't he?"

"Quiet! Here comes some one now!" Wex pointed at the figure

Little did either of them know it was really Taichi.

It was quite a surprise for Taichi to turn the corner and find most of RAM's troops staring at him. It was even more surprising when the ground rumbled violently. This earthquake was the strongest yet, sending everyone onto the pavement and poorly built buildings tumbling down. Large cracks appeared in the ground, causing some troops to get legs trapped. One enormous fissure split open between Taichi and the rest of his comrades. For what seemed like ages, the tremor continued. Finally, it began to slow down, and stop completely. Amid groans and grunts, Taichi weakly stood up. 

General Skot Homidon rubbed his back in the place a sharp rock had happened to be lying. "Sir, one of the buildings our troops were in collapsed! We're guessing between 30 and 40 were in there!" his comlink buzzed. 

A war cry rang out in the still air. The enemy force had already recovered and was charging. It was much smaller than Homidon had expected, a little over 150. They had little or no body armor, and didn't even wear breath masks. Of course, neither did Homidon, but he thought it'd be a good impression to his followers if he could take the unhealthy air.

Taichi stood stock-still as he saw that he was caught between a 10-foot gap and a bloodthirsty army.

Agumon was nearly out of the old RAM basement/fall in shelter, the fusion generator he had found tucked under his arm. It was silent except for the soft echoing _clicks_ from his claws on the metal walkway and pitch black, save a dimming headlight. He didn't like the fact three earthquakes had struck recently. In Japan, there were also lots of tremors. Not recently, but they did happen. 

A flash of something appeared in the corner of his eye. It was gone as Agumon turned to look. _This is the part where I get eaten. Peachy._ Agumon picked up the pace a bit, briskly walking now. There was an odd sound, like someone else was walking slightly out-of-step behind him. He froze in place and swore that he heard one too many footsteps. He dug out one of the many guns in his enormous pockets, clicked the safety off and did a full 360-degree turn, keeping his claw tight on the trigger, ready to fire at any second.

He breathed deeply three times, then continued on, half-walking, half-jogging.

The glow from Agumon's headlight was hardly stronger than a candle. The Digimon toyed with the idea of sprinting for the exit and forgetting the generator. _Yeah, I can just say there wasn't anything._ He ran about two meters, then stopped. _No, it's just my imagination screwing with my head._ He turned around to retrieve the abandoned machine, but as his light trained on it, a shadowy appendage reached out and snatched it away.

Agumon's blood turned to ice. His heart skipped quite a few beats.

An unearthly growl, deep from within echoed around Agumon, seeming to surround and circle in on him. The beast's features were blurry in the dim light, but Agumon made out a double row of yellow stained teeth and amber hued eyes to match. Its face was scaly and brown-black. A pair of black, jagged horns jutted out nearly a foot from its head. Its jaws opened so wide, Agumon thought he could stand in them. 

Needless to say, he didn't stick around to see if he was right. 

Agumon squeezed the trigger and emptied the entire clip then ran faster than he could ever recall. Within seconds, he saw the lights of the elevators. He was sure the monster was behind him from the deep ragged breathing coming from behind. He dug out another, smaller gun and fired aimlessly backwards. An angry roar indicated one shot had hit home. Howls of rage and adrenaline made Agumon wonder if that really helped at all. Closer, closer, the path to safety grew closer. Every step was like running in quicksand. 100 feet, 50, 25, Agumon dove the last couple of feet, arming yet another gun. This was laser based and packed more of a punch. An intense blue beam shot from the barrel into… nothing?

Agumon mashed the call button on the panel and pointed his gun every which way. Hungry beasts from abysses didn't just give up so easily. Finally, a shriek sliced through the still air as Agumon pointed up and fired into the double row of teeth dangling two feet above him. Blood showered about as the hideous monster was shot repeatedly. Agumon reloaded his gun several times, continuing to shoot until he thought the beast was dead, then he shot a few more times. 

The elevator finally arrived with an old, balding male human in it. His face was a mask of shock. "What in God's name happened here?"

Agumon returned the gun to his pocket. "I was down here looking for something, and this thing came along." He finally got a good look at the grotesque, mangled form. The body was long and thin. Where there weren't bloodstains, razor sharp scales protruded out. It's thick muscular tail lay motionless. Six legs, each producing long thin claws, slumped over one another.

"Christ, I think I've seen one of these before, or at least heard about one." The man crouched down, knees screeching out briefly, and inspected the dead monster. "This is a Hexalizard. A young female I think. Heh, I remember my old mom at the dinner table. 'Eat your dinner or the Hexalizard will come and gobble you up!'"

"This is a female?" Agumon said with some alarm in his voice. "It's huge!"

"Nah, some really old females, now they're at least 4 meters long. Males are a bit smaller. Took a lot of courage to take on a young female, they're ferocious."

Agumon chuckled, scratching the back of his head. He looked down and noticed his carpenter pants were soaked with blood. "I gotta get cleaned up. Hold on while I get that fusion generator I left." He retrieved the engine, slightly dismayed at the fact a set of long claw marks penetrated into the core. It'd take a lot of elbow grease to patch it up. 

The two boarded the elevator. Agumon was glad to get away from the disturbing beast, which was already raising up a stink.

As they shot upwards, the lights flickered on and off several times. "These elevators haven't been maintained in years." The old man mumbled. 

A loud, screeching made Agumon wince. "Years or decades?" He asked. A jolt sent both Digimon and man to the floor. The lights went dead and the elevator stopped completely. 

The earthquake struck. Agumon remained on the ground, riding out the tremors with the old man, hoping the elevator wouldn't slide down a hundred feet and crash at the bottom. The earthquake slowly became less intense, slowing down, going from intense to slower, less powerful. Finally, it stopped completely. Agumon looked up, at blackness. Straight ahead, blackness. Left, right, blackness. Everything was so dark, Agumon couldn't tell the difference between his eyes open and closed. 

"Unh… erg…" The old man groaned. 

_Poor guy must've hurt himself. _Slowly, Agumon stood up. It was still pitch black. _There should be a hatch going up or something._ It took a lot of effort, but Agumon hoisted himself onto the thin railing, then examined the roof for a hatch. _This is great, I'm stuck in an elevator with an unconscious person, and we could plummet to our deaths at any minuet._ The Digimon had had enough for one day. He jumped off the railing, narrowly missing the man's hand. _Might as well wait it out._

Hikari angrily mashed the elevator call button. _C'mon! Work!_ She sighed. San Francisco was just as notorious for earthquakes as Tokyo. She waited for a minuet, two minuets, a third. She sighed and went to the nearest call station. "Maintenance to elevator D, dorm level." 

After a moment, a reply came. "Sorry ma'am, we're swamped. Lots of movement out there, so we can only tend to emergencies first."

Hikari jabbed the 'talk' button. "What if there's people on that elevator?"

"Relax, they'll just be in the dark for awhile."

Grumbling, Hikari sat down on a bench. 

Hardly a moment later, one of her fellow nurses came running, panting for breath. "Hikari! You're never around when I need to tell you something!"

"What is it?" 

"Your brother, we haven't heard from him since this morning, when he was patrolling. Also, RAM soldiers encountered the earthquake. Lots are hurt, we're getting ready for a whole wave of emergencies."

Hikari heard only half what the nurse said. "My brother? He's gone?!" Hikari was both frustrated and worried. "If he's hurt, I'm going to make sure he gets only a drop of anastasia."

Taichi did some crazy dance, running and dodging, bobbing and weaving amid laser beams and thrown grenades. He finally made it out of the melee, taking a few potshots at random targets. Continuing along until he found a reasonably short gap, Taichi leaped across onto the opposite side, rolling once and continuing along. 

A bullet rang out through the air, making a loud _ping_ as it bounced off a fallen piece of metal. Taichi looked up, and saw a figure waving at him. _Sora, so she's broken from this pacifism._ He rushed to the tall building she was in. 

About a dozen other troops fired from windows, but Sora was at the highest, just under the roof. Doggedly, Taichi willed himself to climb up the long stairs, as though he was going to heaven. _With Sora at the end._ He finally made it to the floor twelve, walking the last few feet of the empty room, then collapsing next to Sora. 

"Hi Taichi."

"Hi Sora."

"You've been out for awhile, something happen?"

"Ah, you know, trapped in a sewer, almost killed by bad guys, nothin` new."

Sora cracked a smile at how casual they were acting.

Taichi became serious. "Xantos, he's here. But I don't think he knows I'm with RAM." 

Sora breathed deeply and fired a shot. _Sloppy. Got him in the hand. _"Taichi there's a case of pills in my bag. Get me one, please."

Still out of breath, Taichi did so. Sora took the pill dry. 

Pulling off his helmet, Taichi slid up to a sitting position next to the window. He patted his hair. "Christ, I'm never wearing a helmet again." His hair was a wacky, tangled mess of hair and dirt and gravel that found it's way in there.

"You know, I was really scared when I heard you were gone." Sora felt the pill working already. Her nerves were relaxing, and her brain was becoming more clear and calm.

"Yeah? Sorry, I just love adventure, the safe kind that is."

"Oh, there's such thing as safe adventure?"

"Well, like flying _Peregrine _through huge open fields, the whole exhilaration of it."

"Mm," Sora was becoming distant, focusing only on sniping. She hit targets square between the eyes. That way they'd die instantly instead of bleeding to death. 

Speaking of _Peregrine_, I was thinking, you know, after this, if uh, you wanted to go somewhere tonight."

"Like where?" Sora reloaded the sniper rifle. 

"You know, maybe there's a place out there with a nice restaurant."

"With guys like these roaming around, I doubt it."

"Aw come on, you never know."

Sora smiled slightly. "You think you can ask me out on a date when I'm on these pills?" 

"What!? No, no, I'm not talking about a date, we could make a whole group thing, with my sister, and Wex, and Lizarddramon, you know, just hit the town as a little celebration after all this fighting."

Sora paused a moment, fired another shot, then turned. "OK, so long as none of us get killed."

"Cool, here, I'll give you a hand." Taichi positioned himself next to Sora. Firing at a crowd, Taichi hit only one time for every five. Sora used each of the ten bullets in the clip efficiently, hitting perfectly every time. "You know, I was worried about you too." He said as an afterthought. 

"Oh?"

"Yeah, snipers, tend to be the first to go." 

"There's a morale booster for you." A loud whistling rang through the air. "What was that?" Sora looked up from the scope. A bomb had been launched and was making it's way toward them!

The hissing bomb landed through the next window, bouncing and rolling along the concrete floor. "Yipe!" Taichi dived, grabbed the bomb, and launched it out the window, back from where it came. It didn't make it to the other side, instead rolling into the fissure between the two armies. Some overeager troops on either side were too close when the crack widened slightly, and both sides had a few more casualties to add to the growing number. 

The fight lasted on for several more hours, past the sunset. Flashing lasers and explosions illuminated the city. Homidon's three-pronged attack was a flop. Half the troops from one team arrived, but they were still on RAM's side of the fissure. The other team didn't appear at all. The General feared the worst. Finally, scattered and leaderless, (Jackson turned at the wrong time. The last thing he heard was the muffled sound of a sniper's gun), the enemy troops put up a white flag, which was really a shirt borrowed from one of the surviving soldiers.

Homidon ordered for a head count. Of the original 500 troops, he counted 318. A hefty loss, but the other force, with just several dozen remaining, was stripped of weapons and escorted to their camp, where they'd pack up and leave for good.

Xantos watched all that had happened from in the shadows. He silently and swiftly followed his troops along back to the camp. Being second in command, he was their leader now. Ten fully armed RAM troops were guarding the remains of his soldiers. _Ten, a bit much. I'll have to do this strategically._ Xantos twitched his wrist at a certain angle, and the stiletto blade popped out, eager for more blood.

Taichi flopped down onto his bed. He was exhausted, physically, and mentally. _Xantos is here…_ It was 9 PM, nearly 14 hours since he'd left that morning. After braving an entire army, getting lost in the sewers, escaping from an enemy that could've slaughtered him, and surviving an incident between two galvanized armies, _Wow, I never stopped and counted. I could've been dead more times than I'd like to think about._ He rolled over, then went back to on his back. _Forgot about that bruise._ He felt sleep quickly approaching, when a loud knocking at the door chased it away.

Sighing, Taichi flipped the switch to open the door. A flash of orange burst into his room. "Taichi!"

"Agumon! Where've you been?"

"I should be asking you."

"Oh, this and that. Did you feel those tremors?"

"Yeah, we got shaken a bit. I was stuck in the elevator, but your sister and some other guys got me and an old guy out."

Taichi finally noticed Hikari, standing quietly at the door. "Yes, he was quite eager to get out of there. I would be too, if I had to go into RAM's basement."

"What were you doing there?" Taichi asked.

Agumon mimicked Taichi's tone. "Oh, this and that."

"Well now that the partner's are reunited, I've got a lot of work to return to." Hikari turned to leave.

"Hold on sis, we've all been through a lot, I was talking to Sora about, you know, finding a town that isn't filled with bloodthirsty armies and taking a night off."

Hikari smiled her gentle, innocent smile. "I'll see what I can do. By the way, I've heard about a floating city somewhere over the ocean. It's a nice place, if you have a thick wallet."

"Yeah, I'll keep it in mind. I've got a lot of scrapes to scab over, goodnight."

Hikari nodded, still smiling. She kissed him gently on the cheek. "Don't go scaring everyone again, OK?"

Taichi chuckled. "You know me, I can't resist the thrill of adventure." He closed the door, Agumon was already in bed, snoring uproariously. Taichi crawled into bed himself, grabbing some sheets from Agumon before the Digimon could bundle himself up like he usually did. Taichi finally let sleep envelope around him. His dreams mercifully let him rest peacefully.


	8. Rough Neighborhood

Xantos cleaned his bloody blade. He'd taken a few hits, but was otherwise fine. During the brief struggle, two of his troops were caught in the crossfire, leaving only 30 troops for him to command. _Even someone like me needs a sizeable army._ He'd gained respect though, from the soldiers. They'd stood there, gawking at Xantos's amazing strength and agility. One had even called out: "Xantos has saved us! He's our true leader!" A short cheer went up for their new android-human Commander. Xantos swelled with pride. _You've got their attention, now work it._ He raised a hand to quiet them down. 

"My loyal troops, we have been badly battered by RAM, but do not be dismayed, we shall regroup, and come back stronger and better than before. We will inform our leader, Morhin, and leave this city to build up an army to avenge our fallen friends!"

The crowd was a bit confused at the way Xantos spoke so valiantly. Normally, the late Commander Jackson would bark orders, but they gave a cheer anyway.

Xantos smiled within his robes. His army, well, squad, was motivated and looked up to him. There was still one last thing. Xantos selected a sturdy looking man, who looked dignified and strong among the tattered soldiers. "You there, yes, the one with gray eyes, come here." 

The young man obeyed and approached Xantos.

"What's your name?" 

"Lee… sir." He quickly remembered to add the 'sir' formality.

"Well now, you look like a sturdy man. Are you a Private?"

"1st class Private sir." Lee spoke softly, as though he wished he weren't the one chosen. 

"Well then, how'd you like to be my Lieutenant? I could use a right-hand man."

"Er… it's a great honor sir." Lee mumbled.

"Now then, if you want to be a Lieutenant, you'll have to speak better than that. And while you're at it, stop slouching. Back straight, chest out, head up, legs together, that's better, now give me a good salute and a sharp 'Yes sir!'"

Lee did as he was told, and barked out, loud and crisp, "Yes sir!"

"Good, I'll make a Lieutenant out of you yet. Now then, let's return to camp, get some well-deserved rest, and tomorrow, let the destruction of RAM begin!" 

Taichi woke, for once, slowly and peacefully. The only thing missing was the sunshine pouring in from the window. The young man headed for the shower turning it up hot enough to leave a thin fog in the bathroom afterwards. Agumon still slept soundly as Taichi dressed, so he decided to let the Digimon rest after his ordeal in the basement.

Making his way to the large center room, Taichi located a computer. There, after several minutes of searching, he found a map and the name of the city Hikari had mentioned, 'New Las Vegas.' There were mostly casino hotels, but a few nice places existed. What was most impressive about New Las Vegas was that it was over the ocean, hovering on massive twin fission engines. In any dangerous situation, the floating city could move about 35 kilometers an hour and retreat to land, or move into the sky up to 5 kilometers up. It had minimal but sufficient defenses, and a dozen or so mercenary pilots. 

_Sounds like the perfect place, to waste money._ Even so, the more Taichi thought about it, the more he saw that it was a good idea. The leftover yen he had could get him some American dollars. _Here I am, it's been, what, a month since that day? I'm still scrounging for cash, but at least I'm on the right track, I hope._ Taichi finally decided that New Las Vegas would be the best, and most civilized place. _Maybe this time I won't have to escape from it with _Peregrine's _guns blasting._

"It sounds great Taichi, but I'm not going to be having a lot of fun." Lizarddramon said, showing his bandaged claw. "I got it cut up pretty bad. Glass got shattered and I forgot to use my shield instead of my hand. I have to become a lefty for awhile, but I'm fine otherwise."

"That's cool." Taichi grinned. "Wouldn't be as much fun without you." 

"Hah, ya` see? I'm the life of the party!" The Lizard Digimon sat up. "But this damn thing is a pain." 

"OK then, just bring your wallet and meet me at _Peregrine_ at six."

"Is the whole gang comin`?"

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Sound's cool, I'll see `ya."

Taichi exited Lizarddramon's room, and headed for Wex's. When he rang the buzzer several times, no one answered. _Huh, where is he? _Taichi checked the hanger, and saw someone on the _Peregrine_ with a welder. "Hey! What're you doing to my ship!?" He yelled. 

Then, the person turned and lifted his mask. "Hey Taichi!" Just thought I'd tune up your ship before we go!" Wex replied, then turned back and continued welding.

Taichi climbed up the ladder to the _Peregrine_'s dorsal area. "You could've let me know."

Again, Wex raised the protective faceplate. "Well, I was going to but you weren't in your dorm. Didn't think you'd mind. About tonight, I'm not doing anything, and New Las Vegas is my old stomping grounds." 

"What, you grew up there?"

"Yeah, it's a tough neighborhood in the slums, so I'd bring along a blaster."

"Noted. Sora and Lizarddramon are coming too. Hikari's still a maybe."

"Go ask her, I'll be awhile still, if your buddy Agumon were here I could get this done faster."

"Ah, trying to get Agumon awake is like trying to find a number in a phone book. You can't."

"Heh heh, yeah, why don't you talk to Hikari. Being a nurse, I'll bet you have to catch her early."

Taichi hopped down from _Peregrine_. "I'll see you later Wex." Wex nodded and returned to the task at hand.

Taichi had just entered the Infirmary, when Hikari was rushing by. Before he could call her over, several people were rushing a person on a hovering stretcher. 

Hikari quickly joined the group, franticly asking questions. "What's his status?"

"Not good, pulse is weak, heart's fluttering. We need the paddles."

"I got `em." One man brought in a device with a pair of electric pads dangling from wires.

"Petroleum Jelly on there?" Hikari rubbed the metal plates together.

"Yup. Hurry, we're losing him!"

"Give me 300 volts."

"300 volts, ready!"

"Clear!" Hikari pressed the plates down on the man's chest. His body jumped slightly as electricity flowed through him. The heart rate monitor continued to beep randomly. "No good, 500 volts."

"Ready."

"Clear!" Again, the paddles zapped, but the man's heart refused to return to normal. "He's slipping fast, 1,000 volts." A doctor signaled that the machine was ready. "Please, work. Clear!" The man's body nearly fell off the hovering stretcher from the powerful shock. "C'mon, stay with me! 2,000!"

Another nurse raised an eyebrow. "He's going to get quite a shock."

"I know I can get him stable. 2,000 volts."

"Almost there… Almost there…"

"C'mon, we're gonna lose him!"

"I can't magically pull 2,000 volts out of thin air! Got it!"

"Clear!"

Taichi actually saw the tiny bolts of electricity flash as metal touched flesh. Finally, the heart line went into a brief single beep, then began beeping in a normal heart rate.

"Yes! I got him!"

The doctors and nurses around applauded and complimented Hikari for saving a life. Before long, another, older looking doctor approached, asked a few questions then went into a room with the man in tow.

Hikari wiped sweat from her brow then went in the opposite direction. She noticed her brother as she passed. "Oh, hey, where'd you come from?"

Taichi still stood speechless. Finally he uttered, "My little sister is a full blown doctor?" 

"Yeah, happens every once in awhile. Comes with the job."

"But, jeez, you're 16! I thought you just did checkups or something!"

"Nah, I do a lot more than that. The doctors here are really nice, they teach me a lot. And one on one training is a lot more efficient than sitting in a lecture hall and writing papers for 8 plus years."

"…Well, uh…"

"Oh, I have something to do right now but I'll be free for tonight, Hannah says she can cover for me. I'll see you this evening, bye Taichi." She spoke so rapidly, Taichi blinked twice before his brain could interpret what Hikari had said. Wordlessly, he turned and headed out of the Infirmary.

Xantos played around with video link until finally, with Lee assisting him, they contacted Morhin. His face was completely shadowed. _Maybe that's what he meant to do._ But Xantos could make out his triangular jaw, and braided, jet black hair.

"This'd better be good." He sounded young for a monarch, but authority fairly dripped from his voice.

"This is Commander Xantos reporting…"

"I have no Commander under the name of Xantos. Who the hell are you?" Morhin demanded.

"Commander Jackson made me his successor. He's dead now, therefor, I rule what's left of the 3rd Scout force.

"3rd Scout force? The one in San Francisco after RAM?"

"Yes, we've been reduced to just several dozen soldiers. There's been a lot crustal activity, and we were overwhelmed by RAM forces."

Morhin slammed his fist down, sending a wave of static through the video receiver. "I don't tolerate failure! You are the new Commander, you shall be punished like a Commander!"

Xantos sighed quietly. "Understood."

"I will send a shuttle 100 miles away. At midnight tonight, you will march to it. For every day it takes for you to get there, you'll serve that much time with the slaves. If you weren't new, I'd also demote you to Captain, but I have the feeling you'll make a good Commander, so long as you don't fail me again."

"Thank you for your mercy sir."

"No need to call me sir. Morhin has enough authority itself. Morhin, out."

The video faded out and went black. Xantos sighed again. "He's a rather disagreeable fellow, isn't he?"

Lee nodded, silently. 

"We'll have to get a head start. Tell everyone to pack whatever they can. We'll go until 10 PM, sleep for the night, then start at 6 the next day."

"Understood sir." Lee lifted the flap and exited Xantos's tent.

_Well, _Lee thought to himself. _At least he doesn't smack me when he's angry._

"OK, everything's done, down to cleaning the windshield." Wex said as he walked with Taichi up the boarding ramp. 

"Wow, Wex, I gotta hand it to you, you've got a thing for ships." Taichi slid his hand across the polished walls. "Well, I guess that means I'm sharing my wallet with you tonight."

"Ah, just doing what I like. Besides, if I sat in front of the computer all day, I'd probably get even fatter and I'd stay there for the rest of my life." Wex patted his bulging stomach. "Yeah, too many chips and not enough veggies. But being a mechanic takes a lot of work. I remember once…"

"Oh no, there he goes with his stories, get a pillow ready Taichi." Lizarddramon's voice came from outside the ship, claws clicking against the polished metal. 

"Yikes!" Taichi saw Lizarddramon, but he'd turned pale white. "Uh, you look like a ghost."

"Oh yeah, I'm shedding." Lizarddramon pulled at the creamy skin on his face. It stretched out disturbingly far and stayed there for a moment when he let go.

"That's disgusting." Taichi said, prodding the Digimon's stomach. The skin was stiff and rough. "But totally cool."

"Actually, I just think it's disgusting." Sora said as she and Hikari came into the ship together. They'd dressed lightly for the summer night.

"Whatever. Let's get going before we have to wait until midnight for a table."

After a few minuets, Agumon had warmed up the engines, and _Peregrine _was soon out into the cool night air. He brought it to a steady cruising pace, and they were flying over the ocean after a few minuets over the beach. It was quiet most of the ride. Wex and Lizarddramon were inspecting _Peregrine _further, criticizing the aging ship.

"Man, this thing is ancient, probably older than you Wex."

"That's not speaking for a lot. I'm only 24."

"Even so, that's old for a ship. In these days, your ship is obsolete in a month."

"Oh shut up." Taichi interrupted them. "It's not a matter of power. Reliability is the key. She's never let me down."

Lizarddramon rolled his yellow eyes. 

"OK, she's never failed me in a bad situation. Yeah, she sputters sometimes, but I never had to get a complete remodeling."

In the cockpit, Hikari and Sora sat in the pilot and co-pilot chair. "Men, all they talk about is how good their ship is." Sora reclined the seat back as far as possible.

Hikari did the same. "I know, they make such a big deal about everything. My brother has more air in his head than brain."

Sora giggled. "Yeah, he's done some pretty dumb stuff."

"Like what?" Hikari became intrigued.

"Well, awhile ago, he spent an hour looking for a CD that was already in the drive, and another time, he got oil on his face while he was lecturing me about being careful when working on a ship."

Hikari covered her mouth, but ended bursting with laughter at her brother's lack of common sense.

Taichi heard her laughing from the hall. "Women," he commented to the others. "Always warping stories of our mistakes. I only got a couple drops on my forehead!" He said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Are you kidding? You looked like you fell in a pile of soot!"

"Get used to it Taichi. Women will always bug you. I had a girlfriend who spread stuff about me." Wex said.

"Really? Where is she now?" Taichi asked.

"Uh, we broke up."

"Well thanks for the support." Taichi mumbled.

"Hey, Taichi," Sora said walking in on the guys. "Is there supposed to be a bunch of dots on the radar thing?"

"Probably nothing." Taichi headed for the cockpit. About half a dozen dots were coming inbound from the east. 

"Maybe just a group with the same idea as us." Agumon said nervously, chewing on his claw. 

The comm unit clicked to life. A younger man with an overseas accent said with a chuckle: "Well lookee what we have here boys, a ship in our space."

Taichi had encountered pirates before, and they weren't to be taken lightly. "Sorry if we're intruding, we'll just make a beeline to the nearest boundary."

"Oh no, we don't mind if you're in Manta territory," Taichi didn't relax, despite the disregard of whose space was whose. "But there's a toll for how long you're in here."

"Fine, I just want to get out of here." Taichi said impatiently. He mentally reminded himself to be as kind and courteous as possible, to avoid trouble. 

"Now, if you keep heading straight, eh… carry the 6… that'll be $438.29. Including the escort to make sure you don't stick around."

Taichi growled at the mention of the obscene price. "Alright, I'll land, give you the money in a container, and then I'm gone."

"That place over there looks good and open." The leader pirate eagerly suggested an area that was a flat and sandy.

Taichi swung around to land. He was about 5 meters from the ground, and the pirates were already down, impatiently waiting for their pay, when the dorsal gun turret blazed out dozens of full powered scarlet lasers. An entire unshielded ship exploded, with the pirate still inside.

For a moment, Taichi was in silence, then the comm nearly burst with an angry voice.

"Bastard! You killed him! Shoot `im down!"

Taichi hauled _Peregrine_ up and away, far from the pirates who scrambled to restart their ships. Some desperately shot with blasters, but they dissipated on _Peregrine's _much more powerful shields. After a minuet, Taichi brought his ship to cruising speed convinced they weren't following him. "Alright, who took a shot at them without me saying to."

Lizarddramon was absent from the cockpit.

"I'm gonna wring his scaly neck…" Taichi mumbled a series of threats as he stormed to the Lizard Digimon, whose pride was swelling as he climbed down the ladder.

"Took care of them, didn't I?" Lizarddramon folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Took care of them!?" Taichi repeated, but much more loudly. "You blasted one back to the Stone Age! I didn't really care if we lost 400 dollars!"

Lizarddramon was surprised that Taichi was angry with him for saving a wad of money. "Hey, c'mon! They were pirates! It's one less person that rips off innocent travelers like us!"

"The money's not the point! He didn't know what hit him! Killing someone that way is lowering yourself to their level!" 

Lizarddramon lowered his head. His white, peeling skin covered up the redness in his face. "I know, but I didn't want you to pay for some stupid rule."

"Yeah, it is a stupid rule, but you're better off playing their game than slagging them to pieces."

"But…"

"No buts. You pull something like that without asking me and I'll throw you off my ship at 20,000 meters."

Lizarddramon sulked off, his normally upright tail dragging behind him.

Taichi put a hand on his head as he turned around, and met the speechless faces of Sora, Hikari, Agumon and Wex. "What?"

"You sure snapped." Wex said. He turned around. "I'll be… in the kitchen."

"Yeah, me too." Hikari quickly followed Wex.

"And, I'd better tend to the controls." Agumon turned and half ran, half walked to the cockpit.

Sora didn't have an excuse. Instead she smiled weakly. "Well, you did come down hard on him, but, it was the mature thing to do." She picked her words carefully.

Taichi slammed his fist against the wall. Sora jumped at the suddenness and power of the punch. "I'm turning into my dad! Yelling at everyone for messing up!" 

Sora tried to comfort him. She wrapped her arms around Taichi's waist. "Stop, please," she said gently. "I know you sounded like an angry mother, but Lizarddramon is still young, I'm sure he's that much more grown up."

"Maybe. I suppose the next thing you'll say is 'It'd be nice if you apologized' right?"

Sora nodded.

"Well, thanks, but later. I'm still steamed, and I bet Lizarddramon is too."

"Taichi! There it is!" Agumon called excitedly from the front of the ship. Everyone came to the cockpit and squeezed in to see. New Las Vegas was a brilliant site. From a distance, it appeared to be a bright dot, but as _Peregrine _came in closer, the two massive engines pumped out tremendous energy to keep the city in the sky. Larger buildings poked into the sky, scattered among smaller ones with bright neon and laser signs. Other ships flocked toward it, greatly outnumbering the outbound ships. Tour freighters were flying high, orbiting the grand city before landing and letting tourists out. 

Taichi absorbed all of it in before finally hailing a landing operator. He arranged for a landing site, and squeezed in among the crowded area. All six within _Peregrine _went down the boarding ramp, and were met with a dazzling display of lights and sounds. 

The group found a small robot-controlled monorail and boarded it. Within the cabin, clear windows allowed everyone to see the towers and casinos. After a few moments, they landed in a busy sector filled with people either in rags or fancy, official looking clothes. Police were nowhere to be found.

"So… uh… where to first?" Taichi was firmly rooted in place, unsure of which way to go first.

"Food!" Agumon pointed a claw at an average looking restaurant, one without a line.

"Well, OK, look's good." Taichi and the others had to run to catch Agumon.

"For such a tiny guy, he run's awfully fast." Hikari commented.

Xantos and his small squad plodded onward to the location. He was hoping to get in ten miles before midnight, but at the group's current state, he doubted that would work out. They'd packed up everything salvageable, and gone off, but Xantos feared they'd gotten greedy and over-packed. Progress was slow, men dropped for a moment, then painfully returned to their feet with help from others. They had gone only four miles, and mutters streamed amongst the exhausted squad. 

Finally, Xantos called a halt. "Alright, we're done for the night. Ration out the food and water; don't go through it all in one night. Get your sleep, we'll be making more progress tomorrow. 

"Ah, that was a good dinner." Sora stretched outside the building. All six of them had squeezed into a corner. Agumon saw cost as no issue and ordered a huge plate of ribs, while everyone else ordered lighter. 

"Good dinner… bad price." Taichi stuffed his severely thinned wallet into his jacket pocket. 

"Hey we all agreed. Person who guessed farthest from the bill pays." Lizarddramon said with a laugh. 

"Yeah. You didn't really think you'd get away with under $200?" Agumon said. "Not with me at the same table."

"Hmph. You really racked up the price with those ribs. I shelled out almost three hundred for dinner. Don't expect me to do this every weekend."

Wex abruptly stopped the group. "Over there, look at those robots."

Lizarddramon nodded. "Peacekeepers if I ever saw them."

Taichi shivered, remembering his brief but sobering experience with the tough androids. "OK, I doubt they'll recognize us. We don't have any badges or anything that makes us look like we're with RAM, right? Just act casual."

The group walked loosely, heading past the droids and continuing for a moment before talking again. Wex suddenly went to the front, looking at the flashing lights "Taichi, I recognize this place. I used to hang out here when I was a kid." Wex turned to face Taichi. "Mind if I find a couple buddies?"

"Go on, we'll meet up later."

"No. The Golden Rule in New Las Vegas is 'Never travel alone.'"

"I'd rather go to the casino. Slot machines don't take much energy to play." Agumon waddled more than walked off. 

"I'll supervise him." Hikari followed the Digimon.

"Right, c'mon, I know where to catch up with some buddies, and find out why Morhin has his people here."

"Uh, are you sure this is the right place?" Taichi staring wide eyed at the back alley sign. 

"Yup, you two stay out here. They don't like Digimon in these places, and Sora wouldn't fit in." Wex went down the stairs and past the thick black curtain.

"You'd better not do anything stupid in there Taichi." Sora said as Taichi hesitantly went through the entrance.

Inside, loud, pulsating techno music shook the walls. Drunken men were laughing at stories, while others sat at the edge of the walkway gawking at the beautiful women that passed by and winked at them. 

"Nice place." Taichi commented sarcastically. "Should I really be here?"

"Hey, there he is." Wex pointed to a small framed, balding man at the counter. "Hey, Antonio!"

The man blinked once then laughed heartily. "Wex, my friend! What've you been up to?" He spoke with a slight Spanish accent. 

"Lending my superior technician and pyromaniac skills to RAM." 

"Ah, Wex, I always told you, you'll end up in the salve gallows for being against Morhin." Antonio said somberly. "But it looks like I've misjudged RAM, it's been around for quite a long time. You and a handful of others made that little group with big dreams."

"Yeah, took a lot of sweat, blood, and tears, and we can hold our own now."

"Not that I don't find catching up with old buddies interesting…" Taichi spoke up. "But what're we doing here anyway Wex?"

"Uh, yeah." Wex scratched the back of his head. He spoke softly so no one would overhear. "Listen, me and a couple friends saw some Uglies in the streets. What's Morhin doing this far out?"

"Rumor has it Morhin is tightening security everywhere. Weapon production is nearly doubled, troops are on the move, and the Council just passed a law that anyone between 18 and 45 has to work for him or pay a hefty bill. They also dropped the requirement that women have to take a fitness test beforehand. Mothers everywhere aren't fond of that."

"Whew, that's pretty harsh. He's getting tougher every day." Wex replied.

"Eh, happens to any monarch. Power goes to their head." Antonio shrugged. "Hey, you want something to drink? Or I could set you up with one of the ladies."

"Nah, we've gotta get going, right Taichi?"

Taichi's eyes were averted. "What? Oh, yeah, our friends are waiting. Later Antonio."

"Any time you're in town, I'll be right here. You two take care of yourselves, OK?"

"OK, thanks Antonio." Wex pawed his way through the rowdy crowd, while Taichi followed in the enormous man's path. They went up the stairs back outside, where Lizarddramon was on all fours, hissing at a pair of men who'd had far too much to drink for the night, and were trying to get Sora to come home with them. 

"Woah, it's a ghost." One of them pointed slightly right of the Digimon's true location. 

"Huh, cool." The other laughed foolishly. "Are you gonna grant us wishes?"

"Get out of here." Taichi said with groan, firmly shoving the two men. They staggered and fell in a heap. After a minute of effort, they quit and drifted out of their swirling world into a heavy slumber.

"Sad to see the dark side of New Las Vegas." Wex said shaking his head.

"Hope you found what you're looking for." Sora said with a sniff. "Because I'd really like to get going back to RAM."

"RAM? Excuse me miss, what do you know about RAM?" A lone troop with a Morhin Army Uniform on intruded. 

_Big mouth. _"Uh, nothing sir, just something I heard on the news." Sora said, sweat forming on her neck. 

"I thought I heard you say something about going back to it." Suspicion filled the man's voice. His hand was twitching at his blaster.

"What she means sir," Taichi tried to cover for Sora. "Is that she wants to get back at RAM, for what they did to our guys."

"How did you know about that? Battles are banned from the media."

"Oh, we're all part of the Morhin Army…" Wex started.

The soldier wouldn't let him finish. "Digimon aren't allowed as soldiers, and why aren't you in uniform? I'm calling HQ." He brought up the mini video radio on his wrist. "This is Private number 66218, I have a group… oof!" Wex had already cracked the man's helmet. Somehow, the troop was still conscious. "Emergency, sector 3, send… help." He fell face down on the pavement.

"He's raised the alarm, we've gotta get going." Lizarddramon said, already scaling the drain going up.

"Hey, what about the rest of us that don't have claws?" Taichi complained. 

"This isn't as easy as it looks with a cast on your hand. Stack something." With that, the white lizard Digimon was on the roof.

Grumbling, Taichi searched down the alley, and found a wooden crate. "Wex get on. Give us a boost." Wex did so, helping Sora onto his shoulders. She gripped the edge of the roof, and managed to pull herself up and over with some assistance by Lizarddramon. Taichi did the same, without any help, then Wex jumped, and with effort from the other three, got onto the top of the building. Taichi heard faint sounds of shouting orders, and assumed the worst. "Let's make our way across the roofs as far as we can. We'll get into _Peregrine _from there."

"That could take hours, and what about Hikari and Agumon?" Sora asked.

Hikari licked her lips as she said: "Two." She slid two un-important cards to the dealer, who, in turn, slid two cards from the deck back to her face down. Hikari picked them up and took in a breath sharply. _Oh God, that's three Queens_. She was sweating profusely after losing most of her money in poker and blackjack. This was her last game before she'd run out of money. She looked across the four other blank faces. One other man was baggy-eyed and looked in worst financial situation than Hikari. Cautiously, he murmured, "One." The dealer slid another card in his direction. His face brightened briefly then went back to passive.

_Oh man, I never thought I'd have such a gambling problem, I'm not the luckiest person in the world._ Her voice quivered as she said, "Ready." The other players echoed her, one at a time. The dealer nodded at the man with bags under his eyes. He placed his hand on the table, setting aside the useless cards. Somewhat confidently, he said: "Pair of Sevens. The Ogremon next to Hikari sighed as he flipped over his hand and said glumly, "Pair of Fours." 

Hikari tried to control her fidgeting, but she was too nervous and excited. Her hands shook as she revealed the Queens. "Three Queens." She declared a little too loudly. The fourth person, and aging woman with wrinkles crossing her face, showed her cards. 

The cards were in perfect order from six to a Jack.

Hikari's heart stopped. 

"Straight." The women declared with a smile.

"Shimatta!" Hikari exclaimed, blushed at her outburst in her native language, then quietly left the table. _I can't gamble like this all the time. Being a nurse causes early graying enough._ She sighed and looked at her watch. _Eleven, I wonder what my brother is doing._ Hikari laughed to herself, imagining Taichi calling her on the comlink and shouting for help. _He's always like that._ She was surprised when her comlink did chime. She put it up to her ear and turned it on. "Hello?"

"Hikari, is that you?" Taichi's voice filled her ear. "Listen, I need you and Agumon to get _Peregrine_ up and running. We, ah… ran into some trouble."

"Taichi…" Hikari's voice stressed at the end like a little girl whining. "You said we'd have a _peaceful_ evening."

"I know, I know, but we won't be flying away with the guns blazing. Agumon should have the secondary key combo. Make sure _Peregrine_ can take off the minute we step aboard."

"Right, right, let me see if I can find Agumon."

"I gotta go, bye Hikari." The comm clicked off, and Hikari returned it to her pocket. It wasn't hard to find the dinosaur Digimon, because he found her. "Hikari, look! I won two thousand dollars! On my last dollar too!"

"Taichi's in trouble, again. With the others too. He wants _Peregrine_ ready for when he arrives there."

"Aw, but I have to cash in these things or all I'll have is a bunch of plastic."

"My brother and your co-pilot have no price tag, now come on!"

Agumon sighed as he pulled the string to tighten the bag of chips and threw it over his shoulder. "One day, I'll come back and cash these in." 

"Wait… wait… OK, jump!" Taichi said in a loud whisper.

Sora ran full sprint to the edge, then leaped gracefully to the other side. Her landing was something to be desired as she tripped and somersaulted twice then slid a few more feet. She stood up and grumbled when she saw the black streaks across her shirt. "How many more roofs and rough landings?" She asked.

"Uh oh, dead end." Wex pointed at the next few buildings. "We're entering the apartments, the next few are about thirty stories high."

The Morhin soldiers below were yelling at one another, ordering for searches in houses. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of helicopter blades rang out. "They must be pretty desperate to get us if they're using choppers, they're really breathing down our necks Taichi. We could make the rest of the way on foot, but the city is crawling with Morhin soldiers." Lizarddramon said. His skin had dried and stiffened so much it was detached from the fresh layer. He scratched at the itchy dead skin. "And I need a shower." 

"You can do that when we get back home, your skin is the last thing we…" Taichi paused for a moment. "Hey, that may work!"

"What?"

"It's simple. Anyone have a knife?"

"Did you see anyone this way?"

"No sir. We've searched most of the houses and we've scanned the sewers. Not a life form to be found."

"Well, we've looked down and in the middle, get the helicopter over here."

"Already done sir. E.T.A five minuets."

"I found him, I found him!" A young soldier called from an alley. "The white Digimon, but he's not moving!" That attracted a lot of attention. Dozens of troops came rushing, all wanting a piece of the action. Sure enough, Lizarddramon stood, leaning against the wall. 

"There he is, why is he just sitting there"

"That's what I meant."

"Hey, put your hands up or we'll shoot!"

Lizarddramon didn't respond.

"I said put your hands up!"

The Digimon stood stubbornly, unmoving. 

"On three, I shoot!"

Still, silence dominated the streets.

"One, two…" The Captain only needed to squeeze a little harder before Lizarddramon would have a smoking crater in his chest. The blaster fired, and Lizarddramon disintegrated in a puff of smoke.

"What the…?" More than one confused soldier said.

"They took it, let's move!" Taichi was already halfway down the building as he heard a young man shouting from several houses down.

"Guess there's more in that head than hair, eh?" Sora followed him down.

"That bought us some time, but not all in the world." Wex clumsily climbed down the rough surface.

"I never thought dead skin would save our butts. Could've been more careful with my hand though, I think some scabs re-opened." Lizarddramon leaped, flipped in air and landed like a cat.

The four fugitives continued down the streets, passing only the odd civilian. "Hold up, into that building!" Taichi stopped the group and headed into an abandoned shop as a trio of soldiers ran by. Taichi looked outside, only to bring it back in as two more came in close proximity.

"We're locked down, get Agumon to bring _Peregrine _here!" Wex whispered as a Peacekeeper clicked by on its spider-like legs. 

Taichi retrieved the comlink from his pocket at clicked it on. "Hikari, you there sis?"

"I hear you Taichi, we're almost to _Peregrine_."

"Hurry it up, we're stuck in a building on thirty ninth street. Look for us on the roof." Taichi mashed the comlink back in his pocket. He was out of breath and in trouble again, but this time with his friends. _Anything happens to them, and I'll never forgive myself_. _I just need a minuet to get a grip._ Taichi took a deep breath. "Agumon and Hikari are coming, let's get to the roof." 

Sora found the stairs in the corner, carefully because of the rickety, rotting wood. Lizarddramon and Taichi followed, while Wex took a considerably longer time because of his girth. "That's it, I'm going on a diet." He finally made it to the top. 

As they went to the next floor, Taichi found another stairway up to the roof, not wasting any time. Wex was halfway up the stairs, when it cracked loudly. He tensed up and stood still, hoping the floor wouldn't drop beneath him. 

"Wex, stay there, I'll signal for _Peregrine_."

"Not like I have much choice." Wex gripped the railing, trying not to put too much weight onto the stairs. 

Taichi was on the top of the building for only a minuet, when he came down, with a gun drawn. "They're checking buildings. We have five, maybe six minuets before they drop in on us."

"Taichi…" Wex's voice wavered. "I'm moving down." The stairs groaned with stress from the weight. Wex sank a few inches more. "Really fast!"

"Just hold on buddy." Lizarddramon tried to relax Wex. "Taichi, throw me the gun." Taichi did so, tossing his blaster at the Digimon. Lizarddramon caught it by the handle. "I'll hold them off."

"Don't get yourself killed dude. And this time, I'm allowing you to kill."

Lizarddramon winked a yellow eye, then slid down the first set of stairs via the railing. 

"I'm going topside, we need every last second." Taichi returned to the roof.

Sora was left alone with Wex, who continued to sink steadily. Wex had abandoned the rails and took to pushing his hands against the walls. The cracks became more frequent and louder. The heavyset man was trying to remain steady, but in his position, it was hard to keep still. A loud straining sound echoed around the shop. Wex groaned as the wood under one of his feet broke and fell.

It all happened so quickly, Sora had trouble remembering it later.

With a yelp of surprise, Wex disappeared as the wood gave up and collapsed. 

"Wex! No!" Sora futilely reached a hand into the dark pit. "Wex!" 

"Unh, I'm still here." Wex was hanging by a single hand onto an extruding piece of metal above a long, dark plummet. Already, it was slowly bending. "Taichi! Hurry it up!" 

"_Peregrine_'s coming! Just wait for a minuet!"

The pole moaned with agony under Wex's weight. "I don't have a minuet!"

Downstairs, Lizarddramon hissed a curse and fired the blaster half a dozen times.

At the roof, Taichi watched as _Peregrine_ slowed and descended. The ramp upwards was already opening. Agumon skillfully brought the ship close enough for Taichi to jump on, but the young man hesitated. "Agumon, Wex is stuck on the staircase up to here. Blast the roof with a low power laser." Taichi barked into the comlink.

"Righty-o." Agumon kept the ship steady as he headed for the laser turret. A pair of dim, underpowered lasers shot outward, blowing aside and revealing Wex underneath, shielding himself from the rubble that fell. 

"'Bout time! Get me out of here!" Wex hollered over the noise of the engine.

"The tow cable! Lower the tow cable!" Taichi fairly screamed.

Lizarddramon was being pressed back and nursing a burnt area where a laser had grazed his scaly skin. The charge in the blaster was depleting itself quickly. As though things couldn't get any worst, the helicopter had arrived and was opening fire on _Peregrine._

Inside Taichi's ship, Agumon had returned to the cockpit, and retaliated fire with the chain gun. The helicopter was shielded, but the stinging bullets rained upon it, wave after wave, and metal eventually found metal. Struck with a mortal blow, the helicopter lost valuable altitude and settled down none to gently on the pavement, crushing several troops. 

Meanwhile, Hikari had secured a thick metal line from _Peregrine_'s hatch, and fed down enough for Wex to grab on. Wex grabbed the strong wire eagerly and pulled himself up with the last of his strength. Sora as well climbed up and out of the building, not daring to jump the wide abyss. Lizarddramon continued firing at the oncoming horde, taking several out but backing up steadily as another trooper replaced each he downed. He reached the rope, gripped it with one claw, and continued to fire into the shouting crowd. A shot from the swarm of Morhin troops hit him square in the thigh, then another in his abdomen. Hissing in pain, Lizarddramon held the rope in a death grip as Hikari, Wex, and Sora pulled him up. 

Realizing that this was their chance, Taichi quickly ran for the ramp, shouting for Agumon to get out of the city.

As the ramp closed, and Lizarddramon fell in a heap onto the deck, a puddle of deep red blood forming under him, Taichi jumped into the laser turret vaporizing every last soldier he could. 

New Las Vegas quickly shrunk into the distance. Taichi slouched in the seat, suddenly noticing he had a headache. As he climbed down the ladder, Hikari rushed by with a medical pack at the ready. Lizarddramon was groaning in pain, breathing heavily and coughing up phlegm mixed with blood. Agumon was a blur at the controls, checking to make sure _Peregrine _wasn't damaged in the brief quarrel. 

Taichi simply slumped against the wall, feeling incredibly exhausted, more mentally than physically. _We made it out alive._ Taichi stared at his hands, his trembling hands. Hikari chewed on her lip as she applied pressure to close the wounds on the injured Digimon. Wex was breathing heavily on the ground, massaging sore arms. Sora looked traumatized, staring at Lizarddramon with shrunken pupils as he faded out of consciousness.

_What have I done?_ Taichi asked himself. How could he have put his friends through so much? _What the hell have I done?_


	9. Sniper's Gamble

__

Peregrine settled down back at the RAM base several hours later. A late-night medical team took Lizarddramon to the Infirmary, while Agumon requested for a refueling of the ship. Wex quickly exchanged good nights with the others, obviously fatigued. Hikari, as well, left the others for the night in a hasty manner, but made sure to give her brother a brief scowl. Agumon nodded off in the co-pilot chair as _Peregrine _recharged from a long flight. 

Sora waited for Taichi to do a scan over his ship's hull for any damage. When none were present, Taichi hopped down to the metal floor, stumbling as he hit. He saw and approached Sora surprised she'd be waiting for him. _I put our lives in danger way too many times. _"It's getting late, you should be in bed."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Listen I know we had a rough night. I can see you're really down, and I want you to know… I really think you did good out there."

Taichi smiled, looking down a bit to cover the redness in his cheeks. "Well, thanks. I've got to get going now, before I fall asleep here and now." He turned to go, but Sora put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, before you go…" Sora looked into his eyes, drawing him closer to her. She enveloped her arms around his chest, locking them behind his back, and put her mouth to his, pulling Taichi into a tight kiss.

Taichi was taken aback but quickly brought Sora close his own body. After a moment, which felt like an hour, Sora pulled away, face heavily tinted red, then nearly sprinted away. The young man, himself was blushing heavily. _Where'd that come from? Who cares, that was… great. _Taichi felt odd and almost refreshed. _I know I've gotten interested in Sora, but I thought it was just my hormones acting up._ He smiled inwardly. _Guess I was wrong._

Dawn the next day was uneventful for Xantos and his ragged band of soldiers. Even in the early morning, the air was hot and uncomfortable. They ate a quick breakfast of rations and dried meat and fruit, and started the morning march through grassy fields and treeless plains. Xantos, up at the front, tried to make conversation with his Lieutenant, Lee.

"Never thought I'd become a Commander in an army. Most of my life I was a nobody, just some faceless civilian in a wrecked city."

"Never thought I'd live to get past Private." Lee replied.

"How long have you been in the Morhin Army?"

"Not long ago, since the Council passed the Service law. I'm just glad my younger sister isn't here, I don't know who'd take care of my mother and father."

Xantos nodded in understandment. "I led a quiet life in Japan until two years ago."

Cautiously, Lee asked, "What happened?"

Though tempted to snap back at Lee to mind his own business, Xantos restrained himself from doing so. _He's a lot like me. We're both vague with our past. _Xantos drew in a breath, trying to recall just why he was constantly raging on the inside. _My memory hasn't served me well since that day, two years ago. It's rather pitiful I have trouble remembering what this is all for. _"A person… who I thought was a friend… turned out to be an enemy. It's complicated and foggy, I took a horrible injury in the head."

It was Lee's turn to nod. "Well, I used to live in a town, not a big one, but the residents were happy and we made our own things. I was the third of four kids. My parents, they were getting old, and sick. My older bother and sister, they had gone to the Morhin Army, and I haven't gotten word of them for months, so it was just the four of us. I brought in most of the money as a farmer." He smiled slightly. "I could grow the juiciest tomatoes in the East." He went back to a frown. "But now that I'm gone, I don't know how my family's holding up. I'm sure I get letters or video mail from them, but I don't have time. All I do is march and fight, march and fight."

Xantos felt a pang of guilt. He was probably worsening the situation, and now Lee would spend a few days with the slaves. "I'm… really sorry to hear that." _Why does that feel strange on my tongue? _"Listen, I'll try to get us to the transport as quickly as possible. We've already got, what, twenty miles covered? We're making progress." Xantos checked a small electronic map. It showed his position, as well as a white line to indicate the easiest route to the shuttle's point. _Odd, what's that steep curve doing there? _Zooming out, Xantos groaned, which sounded like radio static from his artificial larynx. "What's that? A valley?"

Lee followed his Commander's metal index finger to the slightly oval circle. "Yeah, that's the Pit. Before the big meteor hit, it clipped a space station. Some pieces flew off and arrived a little before or after the big one. This is one of a couple dozen."

"And right in our path too." Xantos said with some glumness. "Well, its about ten miles in diameter, that gives us," Lee scratched his blue-haired head, mumbling math equations. "About five or six extra miles if we hug the corner."

"I think our exalted tyrant knew about this."

"Of course. You think he's courteous?"

"He's good at his job, I'll give him that, inspiring fear into the common man. People will cower before a picture of him."

"We don't like him either. I doubt any Private in all the army does. Once you get into the loftier ranks, he actually pays you, and his advisors get vacation time."

"Though I don't know where someone would want to vacation in this wasteland of a planet." Xantos returned the radar into his sea of robes. "Well, it's almost noon, and I think we could use a break to eat." The Commander held up his arm, indicating the score and a half troops to halt. As the grateful men seated themselves they dug into their packs for a well-deserved lunch. They socialized with one another through mouthfuls of the tasteless but filling bars. Despite their bad situation, the troops were rather calm and content.

At least, until the Horzumon arrived.

It was a blur of action. One minuet, everyone was finishing up the last crumbs, the next, a loud series of _whoop_ calls caused a trio of enormous Digimon to erupt from the sand. So well camouflaged they were, the bits of dirt had to run off them before all thirty men realized it was Digimon that were attacking and not the earth itself. 

The grotesque Horzumon were vaguely humanoid, more ape-like, and with flat streamlined heads that were mostly just mouth. Two black beady eyes flared with hunting instinct. All three bore a protruding set of teeth and enormous hands tipped with dark black claws. The Horzumon were nearly twice as tall as most of the terrified men and probably threefold as heavy. 

Xantos knew they wouldn't get away with this one without some bloodshed.

Menacing over their trembling prey, the Horzumon gnashed their six-inch long fangs, intimidating the soldiers into a circle. Xantos whispered shrewdly with Lee. "Got any bright ideas for this one?" His stiletto was already out and ready, though it probably would do little against the Horzumon's thick, maroon hides.

"Just relax." Lee said loud enough for all the troops to hear. "Try to stop trembling and keep straight faces." 

The biggest Horzumon snarled, blowing hot air through his nostrils. It opened its maw and snapped it shut, clearly trying to paralyze it's meal in fear. Another one was holding its powerful arm up, ready to send one of them flying. 

"It's not working." Xantos said to Lee as a pair of troops were swatted aside like dolls.

"I'm aware of that!" Lee replied sharply. He took another step back into the ever-tightening circle. His foot stepped on something, a gun! "On three, I'm gonna pump lead into their mouths." Lee cautiously leaned down, planning to jerk the gun up. The closest Horzumon turned to see which human it would devour first, then Lee burst into action, pulling up the gun and clicking the safety off in one motion, and squeezed the trigger.

The gun clicked.

_Out of ammo._ Both Xantos and Lee realized at the same time.

The noise caught the attention of everyone, including all three Horzumon. The troops got the idea though, and drew whatever weapon they'd forgotten would come in useful. Bright flashes lanced out of blaster muzzles and bullets spat from the gun barrels. In a moment, it was all over. All three Horzumon lay dying on stained red grass, having underestimated their meal

One soldier found it amusing to taunt one of the helpless Digimon. "Yeah, how's it feel to be killed by your lunch? Want some more metal, you ugly son of a bitch?" He laughed as a dozen more shots were sprayed over its body. The Horzumon roared in pain and rage. 

Lee didn't find it so humorous. He swiftly approached the blond man, and tapped him on the shoulder. As the man turned, the Lieutenant dealt him a sharp punch slightly above the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake, just kill the poor thing already!" He wrenched the gun out of the stunned man's hand and emptied the rest of the clip into the creature's head, mercifully letting it pass to the blissful peace of death. Lee turned back to the soldier, who was quickly developing a large red fist mark between his eyes. "If it ate you, do you think it'd take a nibble every ten seconds? Ripping you apart bit by bit?"

"Well… I…"

"You what? Think it's OK to torture a Digimon? They're not just data anymore, they live, breathe, and feel pain. Has Morhin's prejudice gotten to you too?"

The man gulped audibly and shamefully nodded.

"Are you going to let something that feels pain like you sit on the brink of death?"

Again, the soldier swallowed but shook his head.

"Good. Double the load for you when we're done with the food." Lee picked up a stray nutrient bar and tossed it to the man. "Eat. You'll need your strength."

Xantos smiled beneath his robes. _Yes, he's righteous one. That'll have to change though, perhaps I can bring about his darker side. _

"Sora Takenouchi, welcome to your first mission. And it couldn't be more important." General Skot Homidon himself was in the circular briefing room. Sora sat in the front row of the benches that covered one half of the wall. 

"One of Morhin's most trusted advisors is attending a Digimon Gladiator tournament in a stadium at the outskirts of what was once Phoenix, Arizona." Homidon nodded to a woman behind a desk filled with colored buttons and dials. She flipped a switch, dimming the room, only to turn on a holo-projector. A map of the area washed Sora's face in pale green. It zoomed in and revolved around the oval-shaped stadium. 

"We've chosen some special ops troops for support this mission, they've already been informed of their mission. Also, a pilot has been selected, he should…"

The door leading into the briefing room slid open horizontally. Sora immediately recognized the bush of hair. "Taichi?"

"Yes, he's quite the pilot, or so I've heard."

"Thanks, sir. Hey Sora, looks like we'll be in this together." Taichi sat himself next to Sora.

Homidon cleared his throat and continued the mission. "The tournament will start at two P.M. You two will pose as a couple simply out to enjoy the afternoon. The four other operatives will come in a separate ship, and sneak in as security guards. They'll approach and escort Sora to the Security Room at about two thirty."

The image switched to a 3-D image of the small, square room. 

"From there," The General continued, "An undercover agent will shut off the security cameras and make it appear to be a power surge. Our agent has also planted a sniper rifle in the ceiling. It's a top quality bullet style, and only about fifty meters, so this should be relatively easy. Once the job is done, there will be a lot of chaos. Taichi will have _Peregrine _warmed up and ready for extraction by the time you're ready."

"That's all?" Sora asked.

"That's everything." Homidon confirmed. "You have seventy two hours to prepare yourself. I suggest a large portion of those hours be sleep."

Three days and three nights passed. Xantos, Lee, and the remainder of Morhin's 3rd Scout Force pressed on. The thin, wispy grass stretched out for miles, broken only by the looming mountains and gray sky. The sheer monotony seemed to blur time. Lee had no watch, only the sun and his thoughts. He'd kept quiet most of the day, thinking about home, his family; _I'll visit them one day, even if I have to go AWOL. _

"Xantos, look, is that ship?" Lee pointed into the distance. The gleam of metal flashed into Xantos's ice blue eye. Quickly, Lee slipped a pair of binoculars out of his pack, focusing in on the object. "Doesn't look like any Morhin ship I've ever seen."

As the soldiers continued the approach, the ship took form as a long, thin, cone shaped vessel with a pair of sweeping wings. It stood still and silent on a trio of thin landing legs. It was uncomfortably quiet around the ship as well as in the group. 

Lee took a step forward, making a megaphone out of his hands. "Hello? Anyone there?" He looked back at his Commander, who simply shrugged and went to his side.

"Looks deserted, and old." Xantos edged forward.

The ship came to life suddenly, swiveling its forward mounted guns in Xantos's direction. A single crimson laser speared outward, catching him in the foot. In an odd, hop skip, Xantos fell back clutching his foot in pain. "Ship must be on guard mode, or didn't like my remark of it's age." He said through clenched teeth. The laser had hit his natural leg, not the artificial one. He tore off his boot, revealing a nasty burn. It was hardly noticeable among the other scars that lined from his leg ankle to knee. 

"I got some bandages sir." A middle aged black haired man placed a metal first aid kit next to his Commander and opened it up. "Whew, those're some nasty scars. Ever think about Laser-skin therapy?"

Xantos chuckled. "Some men hide their scars, I prefer to keep mine."

"You know," Lee thought aloud. "A regular shot would've blow off your entire leg from the thigh up. Those lasers must be pretty much exhausted." He un-holstered his blaster, and fired at the turret, leaving a blackened scar on the hull where it was once before. "Not even shields. This ship is just a dead hunk of metal in the middle of nowhere. I still smell engine exhaust though. Arrived here a few hours ago.

Xantos checked the electronic map. "This is the right place, but… no one's here."

"Well, what's your order?" Lee asked.

Xantos thought for a moment, then said, "First, contact Morhin. Something's gone wrong. Also, take care of the turrets. We're going to pry our way into that tin can."

Sora was trying to keep her hands steady, but they took on a mind of their own and refused to sit still. She was glad to remember the pills General Skot Homidon had given her. She'd spent two days in the training room and simulator, and the last day asleep for about 16 hours. Rested, but still nervous, Sora sat reclined in the copilot chair next to Taichi, who gently feathered the stick through the thick haze. He'd dressed casual, with a synth-leather jacket over a deep red T-shirt and faded jeans. Sora had a tight, navy blue, sleeveless shirt, and a knee-length, jet-black skirt. 

Taichi had made sure _Peregrine_ was in its best possible shape. Maintenance was becoming more and more common for the aging ship, and fortunately for her pilot, Wex did it just for the love of ships. Taichi was worried too, but not for his own safety. In fact, he really had the least dangerous job, only to get Sora and the special ops troops out, which shouldn't be hard if there was a panic.

He was more concerned about Sora. The few minuets between her shot and extraction would be the most tense. If he messed up somehow… 

A shudder ran through the pilot's body. Everything would rest on his shoulders… again. He wasn't very fond of responsibility at such a large scale. 

"Taichi, look, we're almost there." Sora pointed at the dot in the horizon. The haze had burned off and the stadium was approaching fast. 

Taichi was surprised at the length of the trip. Wex had really tuned up _Peregrine _if they could go a thousand odd kilometers in less than two hours. Taichi brought his ship in a wide turn to the ship garage, getting directions from an emotionless voice. Despite the fact they were early, it was quite a walk to the bleacher seats. 

The stadium was oval-shaped, with an enormous sand field taking most of the space. The first rows were for people who had paid more and earlier. Most of the others were cheaper and less comfortable, except for the V.I.P box at the East section, which gave a grand view of the whole field. That was Sora's target. Morhin's advisor would be in there. Humanoid robots patrolled around the aisles, selling beverages. After a little searching, Taichi and Sora had gotten a pair of tickets and sat in the northeastern section, at the nosebleed row. 

"Good afternoon folks," An announcer's bass voice boomed over the speakers Taichi and Sora were uncomfortably close to. "It's a beautiful eighty degree day for Digimon to duke it out to the finish. Get your bets in now, relax with a beer, and get ready for the Gladiator Tournament! A wave of cheers rolled through the stadium. 

"I'll be glad when this is over." Sora muttered to Taichi. 

"Ditto." He replied.

"Almost through." Lee said after the hatch groaned in protest. He discarded the power pack in favor of a fresh one. Xantos had ordered his men to use knives, lasers, bare hands, anything to get the sealed hatch open. Already, most of the cutting utensils were dulled, and they ran through ammo faster than children with fresh brownies.

With a small limp, he acknowledged a soldier tinkering with a video comlink. "Any luck in getting a transmission through?"

"No, sir. There 's an occasional break in the static, but for only a second." He sighed and dropped the bundle of wires, tools, and other miscellaneous objects. "Could be a number of things. Faulty equipment, busy operators, sunspot activity," he turned to his leader. "Could even be a magnetic storm."

Xantos saw just low, gray clouds lining the sky above him.

"They're tough to predict, because it's pretty cloudy everywhere. They're like thunderstorms, but about ten times as bad. Lots of electricity. So much it can just about garble everything from radar to video links."

"Well keep at it. We'll have to get something sooner or later." Xantos turned to Lee, who was helping the troops at the hatch. "Done yet?"

"We're just about out of power packs. This shuttle has a thick hide.

Xantos's stiletto sprung out, and drove itself into the steel. The closest men backed up, not wishing to get in the way. Grunting, Xantos tried to make a tear in the hull, but only succeeded in putting a hole into the ship. "No kidding it has a pretty thick hide." The blade slipped back into his mass of robes. 

Lee glanced over at the sky to the east. "I don't like how the air feels." He walked out slowly from under the ship. Barely noticeable was faint flickering of white light far out into the flat horizon. "Storms a-brewing." 

"How do you figure?"

Lee shrugged. "Farm boy instinct. I think we should move our things underneath the ship."

"Probably a good idea. I just…" Xantos never finished his statement.

Without warning, the shuttle's hatch popped then fell with a loud ruckus. Inside, it was pitch black. For a moment, no one moved or spoke. Xantos broke the tension by stepping directly under the opening. Normally, he'd arm his sword, but he drew a blaster from his robes instead. Cautiously, he hopped and grabbed the edge of the busted hatch. With ease, he pulled himself up into the dark shuttle.

Sora was appalled at the distaste of the crowd. They cheered when one Digimon, wearing a restraining-collar, would be forced to fight another. Often the competitors were mismatched, and the bigger, Champion Digimon would quickly destroy the other. Anytime a fresh puddle of blood appeared, the spectators cheered, stomped, and made a general racket. Bloodshed was quite easy, so this occurred about every ten seconds. Even so, she tried to fit in, but her fake cheers were easily drowned out. 

She almost sighed with relief when a pair of security guards were walking around, obviously searching for someone. Sora coughed noisily, trying to draw their attention so she could escape from the terrible sights. 

The shorter guard turned as pointed at her. The other nodded and approached her. "Ma'am, we'll need you to come with us." A masculine voice came from beneath the helmet of Tall

Sora wasn't much of an actor, but put on her best "I don't know what's going on" tone. "Uh… sure." As she stood up, Taichi whispered, "Careful." 

Sora nodded and followed the two guards down the steps.

Taichi was a little puzzled; it still felt a little early. "'Scuse me sir, you got the time?" He asked a man in front of him. 

"Twenty five after." The man replied, then howled with delight as one Digimon sank its jaws into the other.

_Early. Oh well, maybe someone didn't set their watch right. _Taichi quickly finished the remaining water in his drink, and prepared to leave. 

"Hey, you," Another security guard had shown up. "Where's the girl?" She asked.

"What?" Taichi leaned to look past her. The other two guards were gone with Sora. "Weren't those two that just came here you buddies?"

"No, I'm the only one who was supposed to bring her!" Stress filled her voice. "The whole mission is going to flop."

"We can still finish it." Taichi stood up and said before dashing off, "Get to the security and make sure she's safe. I'll make sure my ship is there." 

As Sora entered the large, white-walled security office, she immediately turned around and asked, "OK, where's the gun? 

Both guards looked at each other in puzzlement. "What gun?" The smaller one asked.

"You know, the one I shoot Morhin's advisor with? And shouldn't the lights be off?"

The two guards, in perfect unison, drew their guns and said, "Hands up!"

Sora's mouth hung slightly slack. "You two, _aren't _the operatives?" 

Tall snickered. "Are you crazy or just plain stupid?" Half a dozen other security officers, out of armor, turned their heads to see the commotion. "Hah, you're an agent from some rebel group, aren't you? Well you didn't do a very good job plotting, eh?" Some other guards laughed, others turned and shook heads. 

"Get in the cell, now." Short nudged her with the muzzle of his gun. Sora, completely stupefied, went along. She felt a strong sense of despair as the metal bars crashed shut. "For your sake, I hope this is a joke. We find out you were really going to pull a stunt like that, they'll give you immediate public execution." Short chuckled to his taller companion. "They're everywhere today, Morhin's letting some get by." Without warning, a troop in the corner, who'd raised his blaster unnoticed, squeezed a pair of shots. Both struck the nook between helmet and breastplate on Tall and Short. They fell against the bars, dead. 

The others reacted swiftly. Within seconds, the whine and smoke of blasters engulfed the room. Sora was glad she was out of the line of fire, especially when a brief cry of pain reached her ears. The fans on the ceiling automatically kicked on high, and sucked in the gray smoke, clearing the room. Only two of the original dozen remained. One grabbed the keys from a fallen trooper, the other pulled out an old, bulky comlink. Probably all RAM could afford.

"Keith, where the hell was that power surge!? The sniper was brought in, I don't know how they got her, must've been a mistaken identity or tip-off. We started a firefight, the sniper was in a dangerous spot, and Fernando is down, probably dead."

"The whole place is crawling with guards. I almost got caught twice. You'll have to finish the mission now. Security is restless, and Irixor is going to be moved before long."

"Right. Where'd you plant the gun?"

"On the bottom left corner of a wall is a crack. A good kick will break it open."

Sora was on it already. The wall crumbled under her boots, revealing the small, compact gun. "Cover the door, I'll get this done as fast as I can."

The door burst open, with the female security guard imposter breathing heavily. "The mission's falling apart, I sent the pilot to his ship, but all…" The woman gargled her next words unintelligibly, then coughed and hacked, droplets of blood sprayed in front of her feet. She turned around in utter astonishment, revealing a stream of the red liquid pouring from her upper spine, then fell over with a thud. Five soldiers each had their guns drawn and ready. 

Not thinking, the soldier to Sora's left squeezed a laser at the door switch, destroying it. The door slammed down, much to the other soldier's dismay. "Idiot! How do we escape?"

Bullets pinged against the door, and spot on the door began burn red hot. "Not like the door will last for long!" He retorted.

"Shut up so I can concentrate!" Sora screamed over the noise. A white pill was already rolling around in her mouth and after a little work, down her throat. After a moment, she embraced the feeling of calmness, yet, still alert. 

Her senses sharpened dramatically, and she focused completely on the vulnerable Advisor. Sora's eye lined up with the scope. She adjusted her aim, subtly, slowly. The cross hairs lined up with the Advisor's bald head, right above his eyebrow. Sora hesitated for a moment. _Is this right? _

_Of course it is! Do it now! _The voice in the back of her head screamed. 

Irixor shifted, leaning forward, intent on something. Sora shifted her aim again, just a hair more to the right…

The door blew open, bent and twisted from intense lasers. One of the operatives, not thinking of himself, moved closer to Sora, protecting her from the deadly bullets and beams. He went down quickly, blood trickling from a score of bullets and skin melting from a score more of laser burns. Sora was knocked slightly by his fall. She saw his face, frozen forever in an expression of pain. She readjusted her aim, hoping it would be the last time. 

_Do or die time! Finish the job! _Her conscience commanded. 

Sora had him in the crosshairs, focusing on her target, nothing else in the world. 

But she didn't see that one Digimon had finished off another in the stadium.

Didn't see the excited parent.

Didn't see the young child she'd held up in her excitement.

Sora pulled the trigger, sending the deadly cylinder on its one-time course, with the child in its path.

Everything in Sora's world exploded in a flash of images, melting with each other. The child, stunned and bloody, the people all around screaming in surprise, and Irixor adjusting his position in surprise. Before the full impact of what happened hit Sora, she adjusted her aim and picked off another, hasty shot, catching Irixor right and upwards of his heart. _He'll probably suffer for a bit, might die if the troops organize themselves. _Sora slapped herself mentally, so hard she almost felt the real sting of her own hand. _I… no… this can't… oh God… _The same image flashed through her mind a million times. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't block out the horrendous scene. 

Sora crumpled underneath herself, breaking down in realization of what she'd done.

Taichi had _Peregrine _ready, but wasn't in his beloved ship. Armed with a small pistol he'd forgotten was still there. Hopefully, it still worked. He'd blown off most of the dust in it anyway…

Sora was in trouble; he couldn't wait in _Peregrine._ Security was tight at the ticket entrance, he flashed the slip of paper before the vender could approve, but he didn't bother chasing after the frantic pilot. 

He was almost up to the Security Room, when the muted sound of a sniper rifle came to ears, and the crowd broke into panic. Taichi was almost trampled when a dozen civilians came barreling down the stairs, fear in their eyes. It was tempting to draw his blaster, but that just might trample him more. 

His head turned to see if Sora had made the shot, just in time to another bullet hit the Advisor in his chest, and the bloody child… _Sora, how could you? No, she must've been distracted. _Taichi swam through the river of people under survival instinct, eventually reaching the guard-filled door. 

Taichi knocked out two of them with the butt of his gun before the remaining trio realized he was behind them. At point blank range, they flew back a meter or so. The one remaining guard, loyally protecting Sora, got the last shot in before collapsing. 

Sora had drawn her knees up to her chest, and her shoulders were bobbing up and down. Brief sobs escaped from her. Taichi rushed to her side. "Sora, relax, I'm here."

She didn't look up right away. Taichi feared she'd been injured, but relaxed a bit as her head tilted upwards, unscathed. A veritable waterfall of tears gushed down her cheeks and chin. 

"Listen, don't kill yourself over this, it was an accident… right?"

The sound of twenty guns clicking at once caused all hope of escape in Taichi to vanish without a trace. "Hands up, all three of you."

Xantos was in the shuttle, utterly dumbfounded. 

It was empty. Totally, utterly, void of any life at all, a dead ship in the middle of nowhere. 

"Whaddya see sir? A soldier called out."

The Commander peeked his head out of the jagged opening. "Nothing. It's just… an empty shuttle."

Murmurs circulated through the group. Several wanted to see for themselves and crowded to get in the ship. 

"Hold on, one at a time!" Xantos went into the cockpit, where all but a handful of lights were on. A bar in the corner read: "Autopilot engaged."

_Autopilot? Why would someone Autopilot an unmanned ship in the middle of nowhere? _Xantos scratched his head in confusion.

A sound like two enormous hands clapping together rolled through the sky outside like a sonic boom. "It's a storm! A big one at that!" Lee called to his Commander. "Suggest we move our stuff inside before they get soaked or zapped."

"Acknowledged! Get everything in, quick!" 

Motivated, the score and a half of troops brought in whatever they could fit in their arms at once. They stockpiled it in the back, which was also filled with nothing, not even supply crates. Xantos assigned some men for oddjobs like inventory, or inspecting the shuttle to see if it was flight-worthy. 

Even if it was, Xantos couldn't fly it, for the controls were on Lock, and he needed a code or key to bypass it. Hours dragged on in the cramped shuttle, but Xantos allowed his men to break out into a festive song, and have a little of the dwindling supply of beer. Outside, the wind howled like an angry beast, but could only make the ship shudder. Blasts of lightning arched down from the rolling clouds, releasing immense amounts of energy. Within the ship though, it was fairly comfortable, albeit tight, but at least the troops hadn't been _outside_ the ship. 

Xantos sat still in the pilot's seat, watching the streaks of light flash downward, and the screen darken to filter out the intense light. Long, rumbles of thunder, dulled out by the thick metal, echoed through the flat, dry landscape. 

Yet, it was all so… _boring_. Being a Commander wasn't as much fun as he'd thought. Marching for days on end wasn't what he'd expected. Dreams of grand battles and promotions had lined his dreams, but instead it was hot, oppressive days and cold, miserable nights. _Oh well, maybe it'll get more exciting. _

That night, Xantos wanted to kill himself for wishing that.

Taichi, Sora, the covert technician, Keith, and the last special-ops man, who'd revealed himself as Zyke, were in a pitch black cargo space in a prisoner freighter. All had been bound with handcuffs and placed in the tiny hold. Taichi had lost track of time he'd been in the darkness, but little pieces of conversation had spilled out every once in awhile. Sora had only spoke mumbled fragments.

An unknown amount of hours later, a rough jolt signaled they were on the ground. A moment later, the back door unlocked and opened. It was nearly as dark outside as it was inside the ship. All four captives were roughly brought into a large, high walled building made of thick concrete, presumably a prison, by a duo of blaster-wielding shock troops. Taichi caught a glimpse of an enormous metal wing. He realized it wasn't just a prison, but a slave camp too. _Oh that's just great. _As all four went through the main gates, which were guarded by several dangerous looking Peacekeeper droids. At the end of a long hallway, a fairly pudgy man sat at a desk. 

One troop talked to him for a moment, then the group moved through a thick steel door, into a huge room filled with prison cell upon prison cell of humans and Digimon. Some were tough looking, rebellion in their eyes, while others stared blankly into the wall, radiating despair and hopelessness. Taichi and Sora were led to the very last cell, which happened to be a metal box more than anything, probably for more dangerous captives. Zyke and Keith were led to a similar cell, but on the other side of the hallway. 

"Don't get used to this place. You'll probably get public execution in a few days." The troop sent the metal door crashing down. 

Taichi looked around the room. There was nothing but a pair of cots, a grimy, unkempt toilet, and a little swaying light bulb. "Home sweet home." He mumbled. 

"Do you have to joke at a time like this?" Sora said with all seriousness.

"Hey, I'm trying to be just a little upbeat."

"Well it's doing a shit load of good right now!" Sora couldn't help but burst out.

"Sora, c'mon, we…"

"Don't say to look on the bright side again, because there is no bright side Taichi. We're going to die, what do we have to look forward to?" Sora curled up on the cot. "I'm going to spend what's left of my life asleep tonight, OK? And I wouldn't mind if you killed me overnight, better than in front of thousands." Sora turned to the wall and closed her eyes. 

Taichi shivered as her words, fairly dripping venom, echoed through his heart. _Sora, have you really become so cold?_


	10. Closing Fist

The next morning, hundreds of kilometers away, Xantos, and his crew were asleep, except for Lee, who couldn't stand the tasteless rations anymore and went out to get real food.

Xantos's slumber was abruptly cut off for some reason he couldn't understand, but soon came to be thankful for. Groaning, he awoke, then turned over and noticed his Lieutenant was missing. Glancing through the transparent window, he saw Lee as a tiny figure outside. _What's he doing out there? _Xantos carefully stepped over sleeping soldiers, and lifted the thick cloth that covered the hole leading outside.

In the dark, rosy hue of pre-sunrise, Xantos spotted Lee at a low, thick bush. He made his way over to the lesser officer, more jogging than walking, glad to be out of the crowded shuttle. "Hey!" He called out.

Lee turned with a surprised look on his face. "Uh, hi, sir." 

"What brings you outside at the crack of dawn."

"I hate military food, I need fresh air, my legs hurt, and I needed to relive myself. Besides, I took the comlink. It's on the fritz though, I'm getting pieces of conversation every now and then." Lee held up the tiny device. It garbled static, but occasional words came through. 

A few words caught his attention though. "…storm put us behind… get the cannon…" 

"Wait, what was that?" Xantos asked.

"I dunno, maybe a military transmission. Morhin's got a lot of superweapon projects going around. He loves to see destruction."

"Mm. Hear anything about them?"

"Just one. It's his first space-based weapon, very accurate and strong. Who knows what he'll use for target… practice…" Lee's last few words were barely audible.

The comlink burbled some more messy transmission. "Fire… ten seconds…"

Lee and Xantos glanced at each other for several heartbeats, then took off in a dead sprint away from the doomed shuttle. 

Xantos could've sworn for a moment that an angry god sent its wrath down from the heavens. A red light, bright enough to make pre morning into a bright day, rained down on the shuttle. Focused energy vaporized metal in a blink of the eye. Anything in the beam's kilometer wide diameter was gone in a puff of smoke. The rocky ground beneath the terrible energy melted and buckled, forming a near perfect circle in the Earth. For several seconds, the laser unleashed its fury on the helpless shuttle and its unknowing passengers then thinned itself many times over and disappeared. 

The wave of heat hit Lee and Xantos mere seconds later, sending them flying back several meters. Both rolled a short distance, though the Commander recovered faster. Even so, a full half-minute passed before either spoke. 

"Our… we… that… oh God." Lee couldn't find the right word.

"Everyone else… and our supplies…" Xantos was equally as dumbfounded. 

There was another long, uncomfortable pause. "We'll… have to find another squad or… a town." Lee's voice faltered under the long odds. 

"Morhin…" Xantos said the name like it was poison on his tongue. "He must've known about this."

"Why would he try to kill us?"

"He's got a lot of Commanders to spare, what's one less?" Xantos threw his hands up. 

Lee sighed, breathing out what he'd forgotten he was holding in. "So now what… sir?"

Xantos turned with a disapproving look in his eye. "No more 'sir'. From now until we're back to civilization, we're equals."

"Uh, right, Xantos." 

"Now then, where's that comlink?"

Lee held up the device. He pressed the 'talk' button and spoke into it. "This is a distress call to any Morhin Army units. Mayday, we are stranded a hundred miles west from San Francisco." He paused, waiting for a response. "Repeat, we are stranded a hundred miles west from San Francisco, is anyone out there?" Nothing, not even static replied.

Xantos snatched the comlink away, inspecting it. He flipped open the compartment on the back, and discovered it was empty. "Piece of crap." Xantos crushed it beneath his heel. "You took the one without batteries. Got anything else on you?"

"Some of those berries, and a blaster." Lee pointed to his hip.

"Any ammo?"

"Nope." 

"Well, it'll make a good club. I don't have anything but my survival instincts. That should be enough."

"Sun's coming up, over there is east." Lee pointed at the ball of light. 

"Know any city's nearby? Towns?" 

Lee shrugged. "Not a one."

"This is going from bad to worse pretty damn fast, eh?"

"Well, the farther east we go, the better the odds we'll find something of Morhin's."

Xantos looked at the bleak eastern horizon. "There's not much out there but desert. I wish I'd stopped for a drink from the canteen."

"Too late for that. But these berries are pretty juicy. We'll have to conserve a quite a bit."

"Could we make it back to the city? Pose as travelers?"

"Could we go four days with a few drops of water?" Lee said. "I could go two, maybe three. Four is seriously pushing it. And I haven't had anything since last night. Nothing stopping us though, let's get going."

Xantos took another look around. "Look, they shot the cannon, maybe someone will come to inspect the site."

"Possible. Not a hundred percent though. We're not getting anything done out here, we have to find someone or something."

The Commander grimaced underneath his robes. He was quiet for a moment before saying, "It's bleak out there. I don't want to be found when my bones are bleached in the sand."

"So what do you suggest we do, because at this point survival eludes us no matter what we do." Annoyance laced Lee's voice.

"I can see that." Xantos said with an equally frustrated tone. That wasn't the only thing he saw. 

A little black airborne robot was making its way to the blackened scar in the earth. It paid no attention to either man. A tinny, genderless voice came from a hidden speaker. "Scout Droid 88304 reports no evidence of testing shuttle. Mission completed, returning home." With that, it about-faced and floated in the other direction. 

Xantos and Lee looked at each other for a moment and sprinted away for the second time that day.

General Skot Homidon was not happy to hear his best sniper, his favorite pilot, four special ops troops and an expert code breaker were in enemy's hands. Nor was he happy to hear reports of superweapon testing near his base. 

The aging General scratched at his shock white beard, as he often did with nervous or thinking hard. He had gotten a transmission through to another resistance organization, but not with the kind of people he wanted. The Peace Reformers as they called themselves, were religious nuts, but saw Morhin as an agent of the devil. They preferred to live on their own and had very strict rules, making them hard to bargain with.

"Please, Minister. We must think rationally. I know your group has many rules and regulations, but they hinder our alliance talks to the point where agreement is impossible."

"The Minister wishes to remind Mr. Skot Homidon that it is not his place to bend our Commandments. We do not appreciate those who think they are above God's law."

"Can we please move on? Perhaps we don't need to merge into one power. Would a loose alliance interest you?" Homidon tried to prevent the meeting from going in circles.

Though they were around the same age, the General was getting the impression the Minister was senile. "I hope you put a lot of time into praying for forgiveness. Mocking our power, the thought! We do not need help for our righteous stand. God will see our holy movement and swoop down to protect us!

_He's arrogant too._ Actually, Homidon had heard about the Peace Reformers rugged, durable Angeleyes. They were heavily plated and shielded, and armed with a quartet of Supernova Tech Inc. laser cannons, not to mention seeker rockets and sophisticated computer targeting systems. They could help a lot in any battle. Also there was the enormous, and spaceworthy, _Moses_. A behemoth of a ship, but one with an incredible amount of firepower and a rumored four squadrons of their strong ships. 

Anyone would be interested.

"I understand and respect your beliefs, but you must understand, everyone can't see to through your eyes. If we don't set aside our differences, we'll fall one at a time."

The Minister sniffed. "If you're suggesting we drop everything we stand for, then this discussion is closed." The monitor winked itself out. Homidon groaned. _ There goes another one._

He stood up, feeling more weary than usual. _My knees are cracking, and I wasn't in that seat for more than ten minuets._ The General made his way to the door leading outside of his office, receiving a pair of casual salutes by both guards. He boarded an empty elevator, and pressed the button for the hanger. Lines of light swept upwards as he descended farther down into his base. At the cavern of a hanger, he looked around at his meager squadron. 

There was a trio of RA-21 Razorbacks. Big, pokey bomber ships. They had just two simple 

Starlight Industries Dart-class lasers, but a nice payload of ATS Bombs, and Electron Rockets. Too bad they were only half loaded. Across from those were five Epee-class Sunspot Shipyards multi-purpose ships. The Sunspot shipyards were known for making ships based on a similar style, frame, and computer system. They ranged from tiny; shieldless Geckos to the lumbering heavy assault Cyclops. Epees were somewhere in the middle with tight maneuvering and a strong shield projector. 

The General also possessed an old freighter, named the _Ram's Charge _because it was a speedy little thing. She was probably in the best condition of all his ships, and a little welding here and there would make it able to go into space. _Sixty meters of beauty._

Nine ships. Hardly a fleet. Maybe he should get back to forging alliances.

"Sir, sir!" A young woman came calling for Homidon. "We've been looking for you all over. There's been a distress call, and we're reading three corvette-class ships with a dozen Centaurson their tail. Shall we defend them?"

"Yes, quick, get the turrets and missile launchers running." Homidon followed the messenger up the elevator to the listening post, where a message was playing itself repeatedly.

"…are under attack! This is the _Emerald Sunshine_; we have a squadron of Morhin's ships intercepted us. Please, we are a peaceful vessel. We are under attack!" 

"Patch me in before they hail every enemy ship for a hundred miles." A radar watcher quickly tapped something on his keyboard, than turned on the speaker. "Attention _Ruby Sunshine_, this is the General Skot Homidon of RAM. We've pinpointed your location. Head into the city and we'll cover you so you can land."

A relieved masculine voice replied. "Oh, thank you General. They've been taking potshots at us for hours. We're in desperate need of repairs."

"Alright, relax, and we'll take you into our hanger." Homidon turned to another man sitting beside him. "Send them a route."

"Already on it." He said absently while madly typing and clicking.

"We're receiving the data… thanks again RAM."

It was a short firefight while the _Emerald_ and it's sister ships found the gaping hole leading underground. Bright flashes of red and azure easily scared off the twelve Centaurs. Two went spiraling into the skeleton corpse of abandoned buildings, and another went limping with only one of its three engines online. 

The _Emerald Sunshine_, and its smaller sister ships, the _Firescape _and the _Neptune's Trident _each settled down in a cleared zone, smoking free engine fumes and spilling out relieved passengers. Some even broke out into song. The captain of the _Emerald Sunshine_, a lean, short, middle aged man named Earl Benningway, said with a surprisingly deep and raspy voice, "Thank you once more General Homidon. My friends and me rescued these people from a terrible pack of Horzumon. Digimon population seems to be exploding lately, though that's good for Morhin. Out of pity, we evacuated what was left of the population. Morhin has eyes and ears everywhere though, and it seems he wants more slaves than ever." He leaned closer to RAM's leader. "Some of the refugees here know something about the tyrant's plans. Something big is under way. Something very, very big." His voice returned to normal. "Erhem, anyway, I was hoping I could bring these five hundred people some hot food and a place to stay."

"Five hundred? Mm, we'll have to double bunk some people, but we have plenty of food. Not the best steak you'll ever taste, but it's filling. And why don't I call down a mechanic team."

A loud _bang_ from the _Firescape _echoed through the hanger, silencing everyone.

"Or two." Homidon added after the brief quiet.

Taichi would've done anything for a blaster right now. He didn't care if there were fifty-odd soldiers out there; he'd have the pleasure of taking a few down with him. It was presumably late in the morning because he'd woken up a few hours ago, and there were no windows or clocks in the cell. Sora was awake when he opened his eyes, but probably still in a sour mood. 

A sliver of light showed itself on the floor of the concrete. A pair of bowls filled with some disgusting meal slid and clattered against the other two bowls from last night as a male voice grunted, "Breakfast."

Neither prisoner bothered to get up and retrieve the food.

Taichi began to lose track of time, taking up the time by throwing pebbles within his reach at the other wall. They made quiet little _pings_ as they ricocheted off the metal. Soon, a bare circle was around Taichi, so he moved to the other side and started all over again. Sora was asleep again, so she didn't snap at him to cut it out. Before Taichi could make another empty area around him again, the door creaked open. Taichi's eyes hurt from adjusting to the light change for the first time in awhile. 

The guard kicked the bowls aside and grunted more than talked, "Get up." Taichi was unnecessarily shoved up while a second guard rudely woke Sora up. Groggily, she stumbled along with Taichi, hands secured behind her back. They were led through the halls into the bright noon sunlight outside. "Yer` lucky it'll be only eighty degrees today. Can hit a hundred in the worst part a` summer." 

Taichi was right when he guessed there was a shipyard behind the prison. There were four capital ships, there, a multitude of ships, and nearly three hundred mixed Digimon and humans. One larger frigate was hardly a skeleton, where most of the prisoners were working. The other two, huge battleships, looked like a fifth of them had been ripped clean off. Only half as much servants were tending to either one. The last was a large cargo ship, which only needed a coat of paint on its gray metal hull.

Both guards dropped them off at a small, open window building with a large fan cooling the troops watching the slaves. One of the occupants grabbed a pair of large rings, which resembled collars. One snapped open and clamped around Taichi's neck. "What am I, a dog?" He said with a growl

"Heh, I wouldn't talk like that." The guard grasped in his hand, a device with just two buttons. He pressed the top button, and Taichi felt like a hundred needles had pricked his throat, several times. He groaned involuntarily as the electricity danced through his veins. 

"You misbehave or slack off, we give you a shock. And remember, we can control the power settings from light zap to deep fry."

Sora cried out as one was hooked onto her. The collar fit snugly and couldn't be taken off. 

"Both of you will be working on the frame for that ship. You can rest for the night once you're done welding the bars together. Now get out there before I give you another shock. Go, go!"

Taichi and Sora went through the afternoon miserably. The other prisoners were friendly to each other and them, showing whom to look out for and what not to do. Injuries occurred often, for there was no safeties on saw blades or welding lasers. Digimon were there too, quite a lot of them. Most had bad welts and bruises, some missing fingers or toes or other body parts. Apparently, Digimon were treated worst than humans, and clearly resented it. One group would work on the port side while the other manned the starboard. Water was passed around sparingly, some donating it to weaker captives who needed it more than them. 

About four 'o clock in the afternoon, one little Digimon, who Taichi thought was a Terriermon, collapsed under the boiling sun. Digimon rushed to block him from view of the overseers to protect him from the electricity. He was lightly nudged and given some sips of water, but still couldn't pick himself up. 

It was five minutes later when he was discovered. "Get up you lazy bum, you're not finished." The Terriermon cried out meekly as the overseer delivered a painful kick. With what little strength he had left, the poor Digimon stood up again and took a few tiny, halting steps, only to trip over himself. 

The shock came, jolting the Terriermon off the ground. Taichi realized there was no difference between the collars they put on humans and the smallest Digimon. _That Digimon's not gonna last._ The electricity flowed for a painfully long time. Still, the Terriermon couldn't find the power to raise again. Several more brief shocks coursed through the creature's body. 

Sora couldn't stand it anymore. "Will you leave him _alone_!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She lunged in front of the guard, blocking the gasping Digimon from the beam that activated the collar. Tears sprang to Sora's eyes as a strong jolt arced through her nerves. 

"What the hell you doing? I'm gonna` call security if you don't return to your work in silence."

Sora gave him a look of defiance.

"Look, girl, you don't move, and I'll give you a jolt too." Despite the mirrored plate in front of his head, Sora could tell the man's eyes were as venomous as the tone in his voice, but she refused to move. Taichi had to step in before Sora got an unpleasant punishment. "Sora, don't get on his nerves."

"Smart advice." The trooper said. His thumb poised over the Shock button. 

Taichi subconsciously begged her to move. As though she could hear his thoughts, Sora stepped aside, seeing her eyes glaring fire in the reflection of the man's helmet. The guard picked up the Terriermon roughly by a floppy ear. Before blacking out, he silently pleaded with Sora to rescue him. 

With more tears about to dribble down her cheeks, Sora thought to herself. She would've gone after him, taken on the guard, tucked the tiny Digimon under her arm and bolt for the desert outside, had Taichi not placed a hand on her upper arm. "Let it go Sora. We'll get out of this, and free these prisoners. Maybe not in that order, but one thing at a time." 

For the better part of the day, Xantos and Lee were doggedly chasing the little probe. With little food, they had to eat on the run, often dropping the overly sweet berries. The last thing Lee remembered was his vision blurring, and complaining between gasps of breath that he had a headache. Moments later, he was down with his face in the thin, brown grass.

When he awoke, the red-stained sky shone dimly above him. Nearby, Xantos sat watching ahead of them. Lee waited for his vision to become less dim before noticing the huge obstacle in their vision. It looked down on them and mocked them for their stupidity. It loomed with a gargantuan shadow that blocked the setting sun, also reflecting Xantos's mood. 

It was a cliff. A sheer rock wall going up about four hundred feet. Climbing would take days. If they found a cave they could even sleep. _I can't believe nature made this. It's like the world itself doesn't want us go there. _"Erg, I don't remember that being there." Lee tongue felt like sandpaper on cement. His throat begged for water. 

"I carried you a little ways." Xantos explained. His voice, despite being robotic, sounded disheartened. "Looks like this is the end of the line for us. I'm thirsty as hell, and there's no more food or water left."

"Well, aren't you the optimist." Lee wheezed. 

"Would you like me to say 'oh boy, I can't wait for the rescue ship to come and pick us up with a gallon of water for me to chug.' That's just being annoyingly happy."

Lee didn't reply right away. Finally, he picked his head up. "You know, I could've sworn I heard en engine."

"Oh please, your brain must be drying up too." Xantos fell back, spread eagle. "No one's coming to rescue us. No one knows where we are." For a long moment, he let his words hang in the air. Then he spoke through bone dry lips. "Lee, I've never told this to anyone before, what I really look like, why I disguise myself, how it all happened. No one else knows, I killed all the doctors, and I never spoke of it to anyone. I… think I should tell at least one person before I die out here. Just to get it out, what I've stupidly been holding in." Xantos coughed roughly.

"I'm listening." Lee's voice was barely audible. It was only then that he realized how close to death he was. Running for hours waterless was incredibly stupid and absent minded of him. 

"Out there is a man named Taichi Yagami. He is my sworn enemy. He destroyed my life, everything in it. I can't quite recall it completely, but… he…" Xantos went through another fit of hacking and coughing. "He made me get surgery, on everything. For a year and a half, I was in bed. It felt like every bone in my body was broken." With much strain, the Commander sat up and lifted his hood. 

Lee wished he could turn his head to see his friend's face, but his muscles refused to move. Xantos couldn't hold himself up, and ended up falling and filling Lee's vision. One eye, icy blue, the other, crimson from an implant. His head looked like one big scar, blacker than flesh colored. Lee took one last breath, or was that the engine again? Before closing his eyes for the last time. 

"You want to what!?" Captain Benningway spoke for himself and his fellow leaders, a snaggle toothed, biped Gatormon, and a gray-streaked woman a head taller than the lead Captain called Trish DeSoto. All four were gathered in Homidon's office, discussing "terms"

"You heard me. I'd like to convert your corvettes into battle-ready, space worthy corvettes." Homidon's folded his hands and placed them in the middle of his large desk.

"Surely, General, you are crazy. We are but simple transporters. We cannot fight a war." The woman Captain spoke up."

"Please, Trish, don't act so rashly." Earl muttered under his breath. "Even so, I must agree with my companions. We appreciate your hospitality, but our ships are not battle ready."

"Hear me out. RAM has a motley assortment of ships. A ground war? Fine. But if Morhin wised up and bombed our city… well, we have turrets, but not for high altitude. And with your rumors, a space-based weapon will make the Earth a shooting gallery, with other factions as the targets."

Captain Benningway and his two companions exchanged glances. The Gatormon spoke up, his enormous jaws and teeth clicking together. His scratchy voice matched his fierce look. "General Homidon, we know our ships inside and out. I could fly _Neptune's Trident_ through a fog-filled canyon at midnight. Our ships were not meant for war though. I cannot dodge a hail of laser fire from a squadron of Morhin's fighters. I don't know the best angle to get a flanking attack on a capital ship. Should we try, we will doubtlessly be blasted to smithereens." Crocomon gave a toothy grin. "That doesn't mean I'm not willing to learn. I vote we let the General convert our ships into ships of war. And if either of you have something against that, I officially make this trio into a duo."

Homidon, a bit taken aback by the brutish Digimon's intellect and way of words, smiled through his white beard. "I'm glad to hear that." He looked expectantly at the other Captains. 

Benningway sighed and looked down. "I do not like this. I worked hard to get _Emerald Sunshine_, and I fear losing it." He looked to the Digimon. "My friend, you've never been wrong before. If this it is your choice, I must follow it, no matter what. I will allow my ship to be armed."

All three looked at Captain DeSoto. She looked surprised. "What? I'm not going to take _Firescape_ out on my own. I'll be right there with you."

Homidon was overjoyed. Three corvettes! Benningway's ship was just less than thirty-five meters, and the other two were about twenty-seven each.

"Captains, I thank you for your well thought decision." He shook hands with Benningway and DeSoto, and claws with the Crocomon.

Sora was the talk of the camp that evening. Instead of their tiny cell, Sora and Taichi slept outside in a hut with a mess of thin blankets for two dozen prisoners, who happened to be mostly Digimon. Actually, talk was an overstatement. Many Digimon stared at her as though she had an arm growing out of her head.

As she settled down, next to Taichi, she saw many pairs of eyes staring at her. She glanced across the dark shack, then finally uttered one word, "What?"

A red-and-purple Elecmon spoke for the others. "You protected one of our kind. No one has done something like that. Ever."

"I was just… doing what a normal, empathetic person would do."

"You humans are always snickering at us behind our back. We get treated worst, and you laugh about it." This from a Goblimon with an angry sneer creased into his face. 

"Look, I'm not like every other person you've met. I don't hate you guys, in fact, I feel a little sorry for you. Morhin uses you guys as slaves and shock troops, doesn't he?"

"He does more than that." A Gazimon with one eye swelled shut said, voice dripping with hate. "He forces us to Digivolve. His scientists have created a way of making us Champion or even Ultimate, then returning us back to Rookie."

"What? Digimon haven't been able to Digivolve for years! How'd he accomplish that?"

"We don't know, but it's unhealthy and dangerous to force Digimon to Digivolve. Many are simply mindless zombies, obeying the one with the shock collar controller."

"That's terrible, disgusting." 

"Once a Digimon has been broken of its spirit or body, they 'put him into the front line.' So to speak." The Goblimon said with a somber tone. "They are pumped full of steroids, adrenaline shots, anything to make them killing machines."

"We fear for the Terriermon. He is so little and weak." Back to the Elecmon.

With that, the sound of approaching boots on pavement caught everyone's attention. Sora immediately recognized the troop as the one she'd had a confrontation that afternoon. He wasn't holding the Terriermon by the ear anymore; instead, the little Digimon was cradled in one of his big arms. In the other, he had a plain, simple bag.

"Hi Charlie, what'd you bring?" A multitude of voices spoke at once, in different tones.

"Oh, I really struck gold this time. Take a look, a whole loaf of bread, the good side of a steak, it's well done too, and a couple of assorted fruits. Enjoy guys." He tossed the bag at them.

Now Sora was confused tenfold. "You… you were being… and now…"

"Sorry about before." The guard took off his helmet, revealing an aging man. His hair was in a horseshoe shape because of balding, and light wrinkles lined a desert-tanned face. "I have to keep up a tough motif or I'll be a prisoner myself." He gently placed the Terriermon on the ground. "C'mon, wake up little guy."

The Terriermon stirred, opening his blank, black eyes. As his vision cleared, he saw the orange-brown hair of the girl, and her light brown eyes. His tiny voice barely eeked out in the night. "She… she's the one who protected me." With strength, previously thought he didn't have, the cream-and-green colored Digimon stood up, stumbled over to her. He hopped onto her lap, then grabbed the bottom of her shirt, tugging it roughly. "Human, please, you must free us! They force us to work for hours, days without food! We toil on their ships, with faulty equipment. Some kill themselves on purpose to escape this misery! Please human, help us! If this torture goes on, we will all perish!"

"You finished that already? I'll get you another."

Between gasps of air, Lee managed to say: "Hey, I was in the Sacramento Valley, chasing a scout bot for hours." Already, two pitchers, each with a capacity of one quart, stood at the young man's side. "Water, everyone takes it for granted, until they're on the ground, nearly dead."

"Heh, yeah, good thing we found you. That buddy of yours thought it was your imagination."

"Yeah, glad he was wrong." Lee went through about a quarter of the water before speaking again. "Where is Xantos anyway?"

Almost on cue, the robed Commander entered with a glum, sunken look in his blue eye. "I just got through talking with Morhin. He actually apologized, sort of. Said that there was a tie-up because he's been very busy lately. We'll still have to serve four days as slaves. But hey, guess what."

"What?" Lee began another long chug.

"We get to go into space. You know the laser that tried to vape us? It came from a place called Omicron Station. It's nearly completed, just some fabricating here and there."

It was a long moment before Lee replied. "Sounds OK, I guess. But, what happens if a lifeline tube gets cut somehow?"

"Then we float off into space until our oxygen runs out, or we burn up in the atmosphere. Whichever comes first." Xantos said in a casual voice. "Look, Lee, we're in a lot of shit right now. Four days in space in such bad conditions… there's bound to be accidents every day there."

"When do we go?" Lee finished his container, and denied another one. 

"Uh… now." 

Lee coughed violently as water seeped down his windpipe. "Now!?" 

"Yup. See you at the shuttle in twenty." Xantos left the room, while Lee sighed and the bartender chuckled.

The next morning wasn't much different for Taichi and Sora then the previous afternoon. Except they were welding sheets of metal to the frame. It took at least a dozen people to drag the plate up to the appropriate spot and weld it into place. 

"Weren't we supposed to die today?" Sora's voice was thin and cracked. 

"Don't remind them. Maybe they need the workers." Taichi responded.

That was the way they talked most of the time, in bits and pieces. The morning dragged on until noon, when a brief, ten-minute break was signaled by a loud whistle. There was no food or water passed this time, but there was a nearly uninterpretable announcement over some old speakers.

"Attention all workers, a lucky few of you will be shipped off to Morhin's space project, because of an accident in where a third of the slaves there got caught in the vacuum of space without pressure suits. Some guards will come around to check your ID number and determine if you'll be boarding the shuttle to Omicron station. That is all."

Half a dozen shock collar controller-bearing troops came around, scanning little dots and bars on the electric necklaces. 

He tried to fly under the radar, for fear of suffering the same fate as the slaves now in orbit, but Taichi eventually caught a guard's attention. He was unnecessarily grabbed roughly, scanned, then ordered; "You're goin`. Follow those guys." He jerked a thumb behind him at a small line forming by the thick metal gate leading to the outside world.

Taichi obeyed, but went slowly to watch as Sora's turn came up. He groaned unhappily as she began to follow him. _It's dangerous up there. _She caught up with Taichi as they headed to the landing field, where Taichi sighed inwardly again as the little Terriermon also joined the crowd in front of the gate. As though the day couldn't get any worst, as the metal door creaked open, a very old and rickety looking ship sat on standby, hatch open. _This'll be fun._ Many guards with two-handed heavy blasters herded them roughly into the shuttle. The seats were just indentations in the wall with cheap retrains. Digimon, especially ones with tails, had difficulty getting comfortable, but within a short moment, every human and Digimon was in. None of the guards even bothered to check if they were strapped in properly. Of course, the prisoners were happy they got restraints instead of nothing at all. 

One guard with a very scratchy and deep voice explained what would happen. "You'll be experiencing some heavy G's, so hold onto whatever's in your stomach." That applied to few people aboard. "Once you're there, stay within the pressure screen. You cross it, you'll either freeze or explode in space. And we're not sending anything to get you. Head straight for the door that says 'Prison District.'

The engines took awhile before getting enough thrust to fly the shuttle off the ground. With little warning, the shuttle blasted upwards at a sixty degree angle. The inertia made Taichi feel like his eyes were being sucked into his head, and his blood was pooling near his spine. Over time, he could move his arm with little strain, and his fingers regained their normal color. There was no window, so he couldn't see how far into the air they were. Ten minuets passed then another ten. Taichi began drifting off.

_Space, one of the few places I haven't been yet. _The closest Taichi had ever been to space was that time he had saved a shipment of gold from thieving pirates. Just thirty pounds of gold caught their attention; it was hardly worth more than 3 million yen, hardly a fortune. Agumon had reported 22 kilometers through a breathmask Taichi miraculously put in just a week earlier before the altitude meter hit maximum. _Peregrine _was clawing for air, and barely made it another kilometer before the pirates quit. Taichi quickly descended before the Mesosphere's UV rays damaged them.

Specifically, he remembered Agumon begging for Taichi to drop altitude. "We're gonna die! We're gonna freeze, then we're gonna blow up, then we're gonna splatter our guts for miles." He'd said that about a dozen times. 

_I miss him. He's probably going nuts without me. _Ever since he'd found him sleeping in a dumpster, cold and hungry, he'd had a special bond, and felt like a part of him was missing. 

That was enough of a memory trip for Taichi. He snapped back into reality as the ship's engines began to lower in pitch. A rough bump signaled they had landed at Omicron station. Shortly afterwards, all the people and Digimon were unloaded and filed into line as the hatch creaked down to a highly polished floor. 

Taichi had a brief moment to look in awe at the gargantuan hanger. Entire wings, composed of five squadrons of ten fighters, sat in organized rows by type. An almost equal amount of little mouse-like robots kept them in optimal condition. At the opposite end were a pair of frigate-class capital ships, and four smaller but more deadly destroyers. Next to them was another shuttle, but this one was totally unloaded. Leading into space was a red tinted, invisible wall, which was presumably the pressure screen. 

He didn't get much longer to stare because a light bump from behind sent him walking again to a small gateway in the corner labeled 'Prison District' Inside, it reeked of human and Digimon sweat and BO. Everywhere, there were assembly lines rolling. The products ranged from laser turrets to more of the mouse-bots. The incredibly boring routine involved welding a part here, or, plugging in an appendage there. Far across the room was a thick door with the words 'Space Walk Zone DANGER' in big, bold letters.

"Alright, head to the big, black door over there…" The guard pointed to a large double-door. "Then pick a room. They're all the same, so don't bother fighting."

Before they could enter, a loud scream broke through the drone of machines. A Betamon was rolling on his back, clutching the stump where his claw had been. Almost too casually, a guard dragged him into a tiny, and probably rarely used Medical station.

Chilled by the site, Taichi tore away his gaze. He shunted his attention to finding a room that didn't smell like a Numemon was previously there.

The end of Lizarddramon's tail twitched back and forth; a sign of nervousness. This was his fourth patrol this week and his third order to take cover. A super-sonic surveillance jet had been located on sensors, and he and the other units had to hide in an old building. As the sonic boom passed by, Lizarddramon waited another minuet, then poked his scaled head out and motioned for the other two to follow. They returned to their walk as though nothing happened.

Something was happening though. Ever since the _Emerald Sunshine _and its companions had arrived, sensors had been on the edge, detecting lots of blips. Obviously, the pilots of the Centaurs had informed their superiors. Homidon was tense nowadays, and spent more time in his office than not. Still, it seemed to be paying off. Two fresh SGG-71 gunboats, dubbed Warhammers, had come the other day, donated from a resistance group that had mined into Mt. Shasta. Homidon didn't like having mercy felt on him, but in this case, he made an exception.

"Patrol Lead to RAM base, eastern front secure, we're gonna head…" His yellow eyes caught something and shrunk. He checked the tiny sensor on his forearm, but it only beeped steadily, showing nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the little moving black dot was too tempting to leave alone. "Scratch that base, I'm gonna check out something."

"C'mon, it's probably some Digimon. I'm hot in this suit." One of his patrol-mates complained. 

Without warning, a laser bolt came from the east, missing Lizarddramon by centimeters. "Still think it's nothing?" The lizard Digimon charged forward, messily firing a blaster and talking into his comm unit at the same time. "One enemy in the area, I'll get `em." 

"Careful Lead. We need to conserve Powerarmors." The voice buzzed back.

Lizarddramon was closing the distance quickly between him and the three meter-tall mechanical fighter. _Looks like… a spider? _The enemy shifted back and forth, as though unsure of what to do. Finally, on it's long, thin legs, the robot charged as well using the shiny black, unobstructed hull as a battering ram and firing a duo of laser cannons that screeched like some feral beast. Lizarddramon leaped when he came within five meters. Tucking and rolling twice in mid air, he aimed at the spider-bot's back. 

Or rather, where the spider-bot's back _should've _been. 

The enemy had strafed impossibly fast and was already set up to incinerate the Digimon as he landed. Relying more on instinct, Lizarddramon bounded backwards as he landed, despite the shock in his ankles, and rolled several times. Even at that level of agility, the spider-bot swiveled around. Taking the offensive, Lizarddramon snapped off a pair of shots at different legs. Both were blow off at the third of four joints, causing the scout to lose it's balance for a moment. As fast as it could, the robot re-oriented itself on the other six, then followed the Digimon's path with a swarm of lasers. Running out of ideas, Lizarddramon was glad to see his patrol mates coming up after the spider with lasers blaring and guns roaring. With great efficiency, two soldiers rained shot after shot at the hapless war droid while the other jammed another clip or power pack in their gun. Using most of their ammo, the three soldiers finally ceased fire as the spider-bot collapsed, releasing a large amount of smoke. 

Lizarddramon blew an almost equal amount of exhaust from the muzzle of his blaster. He re-activated the channel to RAM base. "This is Patrol Lead, get a recovery team out here. We have something for them to dissect." 

Xantos had never felt so exposed. He was forced to strip down to all but his innermost robes, showing his skinny figure, and flecks of blonde hair peeked out of his tight hood. Also, the stiletto that he prized so much, was tugged off his forearm. There was much discussion over what to do with his artificial eye. One guard thought it was a hidden laser or some kind of weapon, so Xantos, after some light encouragement with the threat of "bare spacewalking" him, the prisoner reluctantly removed the red shell. Only a thin, gray cloth with tape was over the empty socket. 

He was immediately assigned to a shaping machine, where sheets of metal slid under an indented column, then with a tug on a lever, the pressing device would crash down to form a duplicate of the markings on the thin titanium. Shoving it the other way would make it come back up then roll another piece underneath for the exact same procedure. And the same thing happened again and again… for a mind-boggling length of time. Just two hours left Xantos exhausted, bored, and not a friendly roommate. Either his temper or his odor would scare one off. Every couple of minutes, another person would get hurt. They ranged from minor scratches, to missing limbs. _Like that Betamon. He was being careless._ Xantos considered his own actions. Going back forth on that switch left him absent of emotions or thoughts. _Maybe that's what they really do. Weed out the weak. _Well Xantos absolutely loathed weakness, and vowed to himself to keep his wits about him. _Before I end up just another casualty._

After weeks of negotiations with multiple factions miles away, Homidon had finally formed a full alliance with two other groups. The Denizens of the Deep Resistance Group, DDRG for short, was one. The people had done a near impossible task of building an underwater base at the bottom of the Great Salt Lake and possessed amphibious, aerial, and spaceworthy ships. They were years ahead of RAM, but were happy to help for fellow Morhin-haters. Their fleet of ships included half a dozen of the popular SGG-71 Warhammers, nine corvette sized craft, four _Leviathan_-class frigates, which were speedy little marine animal-shaped ships, a pair of cruisers, dubbed the _Hammerhead _and the _Tsunami Force. _Both had the latest in shielding technology, the new screen shields. They were extremely strong, and could take a lot of hits before collapsing. Within the capital ships, dozens of multi-role fighters and bombers laid in wait.

The other, an all-Digimon organization, named simply Refuge, was near the old city Helena, Montana. Uranium was plentiful there and a common source of energy. Each craft was specially made for separate Digimon dimensions. They sacrificed quantity for comfort, which was acceptable to the General as long as they were on his side and had fighting ability.

Yup, things were looking up for Homidon. 

"Sir, we have a captured Morhin robot." His comm buzzed on his desk. "It's a bit odd, and we'd like you to come down here for a minute."

"I'm on my way." The General slowly got up, his weary bones cracking with fatigue. The two guards outside his office gave light salutes as he headed out and for the elevator. The door swung open as the platform arrived, and transported Skot Homidon to the floor where the mechanic station was. By the time he arrived at the large, window-paneled room, two humans, an Andromon, and Wex and Lizarddramon were there, examining a mangled spider-shaped robot that filled most of the largest available table.

"It's a strange kind of metal, some kind of ytterbium, tungsten, and titanium alloy. It's almost ten centimeters thick in some places. I'm not surprised you needed eight clips each to bring it down. Though I wish you hadn't done it so messily. I can barely work with the circuitry, it's so burnt." One of the male mechanics said. 

"Hey, I'd like to see how you react with a gun in your hand and this thing alive a meter away." Lizarddramon snapped.

"I'm a scientist, not a soldier." 

"I can see that, but I'm just saying you shouldn't tell someone to do something when you can't do it yourself."

"I understand that."

"So shut…"

"Will you two close your mouths for three seconds?" The other older man said with more sharpness than expected. "I've been looking in this thing's insides for awhile, and it seems like there's still some electron flow to major systems."

"So what does that mean?" Lizarddramon asked, lazily flipping his blaster in the air and catching it by the handle. 

"It means this thing is still functional." Wex explained.

"Functional? Then I guess we didn't shoot it enough." Lizarddramon nearly fired, but was roughly cut off by the Andromon. 

"Warning, the specimen has reactivated. Prepare for evacuation."

"What!? This thing is still alive!?" Homidon said with alarm. 

"Not alive, just playing dead!" As Lizarddramon said this, the robot rose off the table, it's laser cannons pointed at Homidon.


	11. Xantos's Secret

It took almost exactly one second for Lizarddramon to dive and knock General Skot Homidon out of the way. A fifth of a second later, both laser cannons fired at once, incinerating two portions of the wall, and staining them with a charred ring. It took two more seconds for the spider-bot to turn and re-aim, but by then, Lizarddramon and Wex's sharp reflexes had their blasters drawn and fired. And fired, and fired. The robot refused to give up, firing randomly. The Andromon was hit square in the face, and the younger scientist took a laser in side of his abdomen. 

Lizarddramon's gun depleted itself quickly, but he'd dumped all of his armor and equipment… and the power packs. Wex's puny pistol blaster did little to damage the robot. 

"Head for the elevator. I will divert his attention." By some miracle, the Andromon was still functional. A gaping and probably mortal wound did nothing to stop him. While Lizarddramon, Wex, Homidon and the elder scientist helped the injured man out, Andromon pounced the spider-bot, wrangling like a bull and using his drill-arm to destroy important systems. In a heroic stand, he managed to keep the robot from attacking the five. By the time they'd gotten to the elevator, a gut-wrenching explosion filled the whole floor. Hopefully it was just a few chemicals that had mixed together in the tussle. 

"Evacuate and lock down all people and Digimon in Laboratory sector C." Homidon ordered into his comm.

"Damn, that thing's just about impossible to kill." Lizarddramon struck the metal casing with his blaster.

"Morhin's probably got a million of these little critters running around." Wex said with ragged breath. Homidon, sir, we can't sit around any longer. Morhin's getting stronger every day. His monstrosities are multiplying every day. We have to take the offensive."

"What do you think I've been doing in my office all day, twiddling my thumbs and whistling? We have three allies now, ones that are all stronger. Including us, we have over two-hundred ships."

"Well, with things like that robot out and about, we'll need to make more allies than…"

Homidon's comm beeped. "Hold on. Yes, what is it?"

"Sir, I'm afraid we have some bad news." The young woman's voice was heavy.

"What is it?" Homidon's voice carried the same tone.

"There are thirty units and growing on radar. They're radio signature and build are similar to the unit we captured earlier today."

"Dispatch all available units and artillery. Inform our people to be generous with power packs and bullet clips, and that they keep their distance. Activate all turrets and missile launchers as well."

"Affirmative sir. Troops deploying."

The two scientists got off at the Infirmary level, while Wex and Lizarddramon tried to use whatever was left in the Armory. By the time the General got to the top level, flashes of light were already popping up. Homidon quickly went to the observation and command room located at the top of three-story building. From there, he located about four dozen dots that resembled spiders. 

They were approaching fast on their spindly eight legs, and his men were doing their best to hold them back. Even so, the rapid-fire laser turrets, which roared above the roof, couldn't quite hit the agile robots. RAM lines were being broken faster than they could be set up. A screen showing enemies on radar finally beeped, and one of the red dots winked out, hopefully for good. 

"Enemy units are within three hundred meters. E.T.A to arrival, two minutes." An elder war coordinator reported."

"Prepare to evacuate the upper floors. Set up turrets along the windows and try not to let them breach." The General ordered.

"Sir, we're suffering a lot of casualties. There are over fifty soldiers down, and three grenade launchers have been destroyed."

"Continue with defense, we can't let them get into the building!"

"One hundred meters and closing fast." The war coordinator chewed his lip.

"Sir, these things are impossible to kill! We're getting wiped out down here." An officer shouted over the comm, then screamed and was abruptly cut off. 

"Fifty meters. Sir, our troops are turning and running!" 

"All units, hold your ground!" Homidon ordered sharply on the public comm. "Keep fighting if you want to call yourself a member of RAM!"

"Sir, we've got almost a hundred dead or injured! We need to fall back or we'll all die!"

After a long moment, Homidon gritted his teeth and muttered. "All units, return to base, but do everything possible to keep those spiders out."

A multitude of dots on the radar rushed back to home. Only six of the now thirty-seven invaders were down. Homidon sighed. This was going to lead to a headache fast.

Space had a certain beauty to it. The vast emptiness, utter silence, and vast ocean of stars were a wonderful sight. There was a syndrome called "Spacer's Madness", which was supposedly caused by staring into space for too long. Caused all kinds of wacky things, like loss awareness, sleeplessness, loss of hearing, and eventually, insanity.

Right now, Taichi really wished he had that. Then the prison wardens would send into space without a suit, and he'd die. Quick and easy. But no, he was forced to work on putting up the metal coating of Omicron station in a skimpy enviro-suit with a thin lifeline cable that could be torn apart with bare hands. 

_Life doesn't suck much more than this _

"Taichi, grab that laser welder, quick!" Sora had lost it while juggling a thick piece of titanium and a metal cutting saw.

Taichi leaned and reached with on hand while grasping a steel beam. His fingers grazed the handle and only caused it to start spinning. Wrapping his foot around the same metal post, he went out another half meter and hooked his finger around the trigger. If he hadn't grabbed it, a missing welding laser in inventory would land all of the slaves a punishment. 

Though he never saw all of it, Taichi could guess what the space station looked like. A huge outer ring, easily ten kilometers in diameter housed most of the slaves, troops, hangars, and many other things. Four long tubes connected it to a long, wide station in the middle This was the more restricted area, with it's own private hangar, a scientist quarters, and the main core to Omicron Station. At the very front was a bridge, of which anyone within would have a splendid view of the carnage. 

"Heads up, we have a meteor shower coming. Get under the shield." A gruff voice commanded to the three-dozen space walkers. Sometimes, they were given only a few seconds warning. A light green transparent shield focused over a fairly small area. The group crowded under it, uncomfortably waiting for the hailstorm of rock pebbles. A human, who had unluckily picked the most remote spot to work on Omicron station, scrambled to take shelter. A merciful guard pulled him in by his lifeline tube, but a flurry of meteors beat him to the shield. 

A single nugget, traveling easily more than five kilometers per second passed through his chest. Blood poured out of both sides, then instantly froze in the sub-zero temperatures. Taichi was glad the victim's face was turned the other way. 

Grunting, the guard tore off the lifeline, then kicked the dead man away. He spiraled away, soon to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. 

It was just another accident that had taken another life, and Taichi never got used to it. His stomach shifted uncomfortably, but vomiting in zero gravity was one of the most disgusting things one could do. Besides, that bread was a generous offer.

"Get back to work, it's over." The same guard ordered. As though nothing happened, all of the slaves returned to work. 

For several hours, all was quiet, and much progress was made. When the warden ordered everyone back in, he sort of complimented them. "Since you've been working so hard and we're ahead of schedule, all of you will be getting tomorrow morning off."

A wave of sighs passed over the exhausted group. They had really been working non-stop, and needed a break. 

Taichi and Sora peeled off the thin, tight suit, and headed to the mess hall for a meager dinner of over-cooked pork, stale biscuits, and thin, off white soup. In the crowded, stuffy room, Taichi saw the familiar face of the Terriermon. He could barely make the effort to stop a person from snatching a piece of food. 

Sora began peeling off a portion of the good side of the bread, when another person beat her to it. 

"Here you go little guy." His blue hair and tan skin showed his Asian heritage, which made Taichi and Sora a bit more comfortable in the mostly American crowd. 

"Bless you sir." The meek Terriermon croaked, then nibbled the half-decent biscuit. 

"Glad to see I'm not the only generous one." Sora said with a small crack of a smile.

"Heh, yeah that's me, Mr. Nice Guy."

They continued with the meal, not asking names. After all, getting to know someone who could be the next casualty was pointless. 

With a deafening bang, the reinforced doors to RAM burst open to the outside world. Taking their time, the two dozen or so remaining spider-bots ceaselessly fired burst after burst of laser fire. All around the floor, desks, tables, anything that would protect what was left of the troops, lay sideways. Grenades and laser shot from behind them, scoring hit after hit. Even so, the thick armor absorbed every attack. They were like giant walking cockroaches, nearly impossible to destroy. 

Homidon fought valiantly with his men. The old-style six-shooter Grizzly Supermagnum packing .668 caliber firepower roared in his hand. Even multi-ton robots recoiled at its power. Even with it though, the RAM troops steadily lost ground. The elevators were completely jammed with people and Digimon as they tried to escape from the carnage. 

"All personnel, report to the Dorm level, lock your doors, and find any weapon you can! This is not a drill! We are under invasion! Remain calm and please help fight in any way possible!" The voice continually repeated this message, though it did little to help. People were running around, looking for lost family or prized possessions. 

There were at least fifteen robots still functioning and advancing. They moved with amazing efficiency, focusing on specific spots instead of randomly firing. 

The General figured he had about five minutes before he'd be incinerated. It was then that he ordered the retreat to his soldiers. "Retreat!" He yelled over the din of combat. "Retreat to the next level. Seal all elevators once everyone's down!" He replaced the shells of his used bullets with fresh ones and fired all six in rapid succession, then herded the remainder of his soldiers to the elevators. When he figured it would take too long, he pointed to the emergency stairs and shouted, "Use the stairs! We have to get out of here!" 

All of the soldiers scrambled to leave before they met an untimely demise. Several were gunned down and left behind, but most made it to the long flight of stairs. Homidon set up lines around the first wide corner. A dozen soldiers with mobile laser turrets checked and re-checked their equipment. Homidon reloaded his Grizzly Supermagnum, dropping a bullet twice in his shaking hands, and waited for the rumbles of battle to return.

A full minute passed, then another. Silence prevailed around the corridor. "What are they waiting for?" One soldier finally piped up. 

"Shut up! I here something." One next to him craned his neck. Dull _wumph _sounds, barely audible, put the RAM troops on edge. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, then abruptly quieted. A tense moment passed, then a resounding crash echoed from behind the remainder of the squad. The spider bots had tunneled their way through dirt and rock to ambush the squad from behind. Homidon cursed. Then ordered, "Blast your way through! Keep going down!" 

The weary troops somehow pressed forward. A deadly shower of lasers and bullets filled the hallway. Exhaust formed a thick cloud between the forces, and soldiers ran blindly into action. Many fell to the hail of fire, Homidon managed to plow through the blockade with about two dozen soldiers.

Even in his age, the General picked up the comm's chime. "What?" He yelled furiously into it. He had to be heard over the roar of laser fire and blast of guns. 

"We got the _Ram's Charge _powered up and people in the turrets. Lure the spiders down to the hanger, and we'll be able to wipe them out."

"Roger, we'll be there in a few minutes." _I hope._

Sora uncomfortably shifted again on the hard cot. Sleep was nearly impossible with the grotesque stench and lack of heating. What happened to those days in the flower shop with her mother? Why did she have to join that gang, start stealing, meet Taichi… Well, meeting Taichi wasn't really a bad thing. He was a good honest guy. _Right? _And his sister, Hikari, and Wex and Lizarddramon and Agumon, they were good people. _Right? _And getting a better job… _As a sniper? Yeah right. _But a freedom fighter sniper. This was for a good cause, _Right? _

She didn't know anything. Any question she asked to herself, she was unsure of what the answer was, or whether it was right or wrong. Nothing to do but keep going…

"Human, wake up." The voice of a Digimon so close to her ear made Sora jump. The Terriermon she had defended was bouncing up and down. "We need your help."

"What is it?" Sora was not as friendly when sleep deprived.

"We're planning a revolt, and we need you get something."

More awake now, Sora swung her legs over the cot and followed the Digimon, half-walking, half dragging her feet.

The door that was normally locked had been wedged up somehow, and was opened from the outside. No guards were in the vicinity, but Terriermon and Sora proceeded with all due stealth down the hall. At the other side was a door reading: "Soldier HQ. Restricted." 

"Everyone's asleep in there. A Floramon used some sleeping dust. Go in, and put in these numbers on the safe." He handed her a tiny piece of paper, with sketchy numbers written into it by something other than a pen. "The knob's too high up for any of us, and you're the only human we can trust. Take out just one gun and a few magazines, or they'll notice!"

Sora grasped the paper between her fingers, then tiptoed into the open door. Four armorless guards snored away in dim light; unaware they were being robbed. Sora turned as she heard footsteps. A beam of light shone down the hall. The Terriermon dove into his room, shutting the door behind him. 

Suspicious by the noise, the guard re-opened the door and peered inside, to find some slaves resting. He scratched his head, mumbled something under his breath, and then came into the Soldier HQ.

Sora had managed to hide under a table, and feared the troop would hear her pounding heart. Forcing her breath to cease, she waited. The soldier turned on the lights, then nudged one of his mates. "Allen, your shift." It took quite a lot of nudging, but the soldier named Allen did awake.

"Hunh? Oh yeah, OK, just gimme` a second… to, uh… suit up." He was still under the influence of the pollen and walked like a drunk to the closet. The soldier that just came in replaced the couch, tossing off his armor. After a moment, he stretched out and began falling into dreamland. The other soldier never came out of the closet, probably asleep again. Sora counted a full twenty minutes before she heard another snore join to the low chorus. Not daring to breathe, Sora crawled out from under the table, unraveling the piece of paper she'd unintentionally crumpled.

She approached the safe, barely able to grip the knob. _Right to fourteen, left to forty, right to twenty nine…_ she went through the rest of the short list, then, as silently as possible, twisted the lever. Even a soft click sounded like a deafening crash in the still air. 

Fortunately for Sora, someone had remembered to oil the joints. The safe noiselessly swung open. The guns were somewhat organized on racks, and clips and power packs were organized in boxes. _Which one to choose…_ Sora had little knowledge of guns, except for sniper rifles. She selected a fair-sized blaster, and a trio of power packs, then closed the safe behind her.

The guard had closed the door behind him. Sora's finger shook so much; it almost missed the button to open the door. It swooshed open louder than expected, but failed to awake the slumbering troops. Sora didn't close the door behind her, and dashed back to her cell. Inside, she felt like her heart would explode right out of her chest, but the mission was complete. 

Terriermon certainly seemed pleased. "You really are a Digimon's best friend. We'll remember this when we escape."

"Yeah, glad to help." Sora mumbled. She lay back down, but didn't expect to fall asleep after that episode. 

After a couple minutes, Terriermon picked up a small piece of debris and went up to the wall. He tapped it lightly on the wall in a series of long and short pings. It was an old-style Morse code, that any self-respecting Digimon would know. He tapped out the letters: W-E-H-A-V-E-T-H-E-B-L-A-S-T-E-R. 

A response came after a moment. G-O-O-D-W-A-S-I-T-T-H-E-H-U-M-A-N-G-I-R-L.

Terriermon confirmed this with a Y-E-S

The Digimon at the other side tapped some more. S-H-E-W-I-L-L-B-E-I-N-T-H-E-P-L-A-N

Terriermon wrapped up the secret conversation. I-L-L-T-E-L-L-H-E-R. He discarded the rock and crawled into the small pile of Digimon for warmth. None of them were asleep, until he reported: "We have almost everything ready. Just a few more days." 

Homidon was nearly fired upon by the ready-to-strike gunners. He was followed by less than thirty soldiers, another hundred were waiting for him. All were setting up walls of whatever junk they could find, and setting up laser turrets. 

"Get those grenade launchers ready! Make sure your gun is fully charged and re-loaded. I want the most capable marksmen in the freighter's turrets. Do not, under any circumstances, retreat until told to do so!" The General barked multiple orders into his comm, but one phrase repeated in his head: _We have to keep this stand, or RAM will be captured._

It didn't take long for the spider-bots to make a grand entrance.

And grand it certainly was.

From three spots, the stairs, and two holes made in walls, two dozen spider-bots poured out in full-fledged assault.

The world in front of Homidon set on fire, lasers and bullets, intersecting each other, incinerating anything in between. _Ram's Charge _whirred to life, then all of the turrets fired at once. Fireballs popped up in random places, leaving smoking craters in the steel floor. Still, the spider-bots continued their inexorable approach. Lines began to get punctured. Brave soldiers unloaded every last bullet and squeezed every last drop of power out of their clips, but it still wasn't enough. 

The turrets fired again, in complete unison. More explosions rocked Homidon to the bone. Only five spider-bots had been taken down. This was not going well.

One of the robots lumbered forward in a suicidal attack, but got eradicated by the grenade of a watchful officer. Other robots got the idea though, and began imitating their former comrade. Two more were destroyed before they could get too close, but one got dangerously close. The things went out with a bang, and sent some people back in the shockwave. 

Homidon was down to his last six shots, and used them all on a single spider-bot, which sagged, as its major power core was breached. The enemy force was at less than two thirds, but the distance between armies was rapidly shrinking. Another wave of fire came from Homidon's ship. Two well-aimed shots left a pile of smoking circuitry and metal where a spider-bot once was. They weren't dropping fast enough. Already, a few robots were over the lines and wreaking havoc. Another burst of fire from _Ram's Charge _wiped out two spider-bots, but several troops were killed by friendly fire. Homidon had no choice. "Discontinue firing with the turrets. We're killing our own men!"

"Sir! We're getting pummeled out here!"

"Hold your position! We can't…" Skot Homidon's voice was suddenly cut off when the roar of a fighter's engines drowned out almost everything else. A lone figure in an Epee rose up about two meters then loosed a flurry of under-powered lasers. Dozens upon dozens of splinter shots fell like a hailstorm on the fourteen remaining spider-bots. In a stunning display, that number was halved in mere moments. The deadly robots began falling back, a joyous sight to many, as two more Epees rose up and added their own firepower to the melee. Three more robots went down before the spider-bots scurried up and out of the hanger. 

In disbelief, Homidon flicked on his comm, to ask who was piloting the ships, but both had landed already, and a less-than-modest Lizarddramon jumped out, along with a slightly less proud Agumon, and Wex, who scratched the back of his head as a cheer went up for the heroes. 

_Two more days in this hell hole, and I'll be outta here._ Xantos kept reminding that to himself as he frustratingly tried to drive in a screw with a faulty drill. The morning flew by faster than Xantos had wished, and in the middle afternoon, here he was back to the same repetitive work. Without warning, his lifeline was tugged on. He turned and saw a guard motioning for him to come. The steel superstructure allowed easy handholds. In a private channel, Xantos's receiver-only comm buzzed with the guard's voice. "There's been some funny business going on around here. I understand there's been talk of revolt. Your name is Xantos, right?"

Xantos nodded.

"And you were a Commander, but your squad got destroyed. So you were sent here for awhile."

Again, Xantos nodded.

"Listen, I could get you off this station a bit early if you do something for me, OK?"

Once more, Xantos nodded. 

"I want you to check out the bunks, pick up gossip, you know, be my ears in there."

Xantos put up one finger.

"One… you want something else?"

Bowing his head, Xantos poked his ear.

"Hear… listen… sound… Sound? Sounds like…"

Xantos cupped his hands around his groin.

"Piss? Pee? Sea… tree… Lee. You want a guy named Lee? Get him off Omicron station with you? Well, all right. If he helps you, I could talk both of you out of here I guess."

Xantos and the guard shook hands, sealing the secret treaty.

Sora was becoming very popular with Digimon. In fact, the Terriermon who seemed to be everywhere she turned murmured "Join me at the border between human and Digimon sections." While they crossed paths. She and Taichi sat at the last row of the sections. Only Terriermon, a pale skinned Scubamon, and a Geckomon who looked utterly heartbroken without the little horn they treasured sat relatively close to them. That evening was just moldy salad, spoiled milk, and rice, but as the fourth meal in a row, that was all that could be spared for the slaves. 

"Everything's coming together." The Scubamon mumbled. "Tonight, we just need… whose he?"

"He's with me." Sora confirmed. 

The Divermon spit on the floor in contempt. "I don't remember letting these human slimeballs in."

"This one… these two are different. We wouldn't have that blaster if it wasn't for the girl." Terriermon reminded the sneering Digimon. "Listen, we can make this work. I just need the codes to get into the guard room."

The Geckomon shifted his eyes from one occupant to another, then turned away, made a coughing sound, and handed Terriermon a moist slip of paper. If he was revolted, he didn't show it. "MRHNRL… and something else. What's that last letter?" The Divermon impatiently tapped his claws. Taichi gazed at the paper, trying to make sense of the letters. They fit into a pattern somehow…

"Maybe this is an acronym, the last letter could stand for something that fits in with other letters." Terriermon put a paw onto his temple while choking down his last bit of lettuce. 

They acted casual, as though it was a coincidence they were sitting so close. 

"Couldn't we just try every letter until we get it?" Sora asked.

"Takes too long, and it would set off an alarm." The Geckomon said with a mournful tone.

Taichi looked around; searching for that little clue that would spark the answer. His gaze locked with a single blue eye. 

He felt like he swallowed a boulder. _Xantos… He's here! How… Why!? Act natural… yeah keep moving your eyes…_

He's either blind or stupid. I know he saw me, we're just four meters apart. He shoved his paper plate away, not trusting the black-stained salad. He'd informed Lee of the little agreement, but his friend didn't sound very happy about it. Even so, he was glad the guards hadn't discovered his hearing implant. _They should talk softer. _

Taichi tried to destroy the image by thinking about… "I got it!" He said just a little too loudly.

After a stern hush from the Scubamon, Terriermon asked, "What is it?"

"The last letter is S. Because if you take all of the vowels out of "Morhin rules, the last letter is S."

After a moment, all three Digimon and Sora smiled. "For everyone's sake, I hope your logic is right." Terriermon shredded the paper into confetti.

Despite the happiness over their recent victory, the people of RAM were on edge. Five spider-bots still roamed the base. The captured one had never been found. The total death toll creeped near a hundred and twenty soldiers, and fifty civilians. Benningway and his crew were working twice as hard to get the recently installed turrets online. Every one of the near-four thousand occupants were crammed into the hangar while patrol teams escorted an hour long line of people to the dorm level to get possessions. 

And Hikari couldn't wait that long.

A family she'd met, who was at the back of the line, had a missing little boy. He was in the Infirmary with a broken leg. They'd searched one corner to the other, and couldn't locate their son. Taking pity, Hikari approached one of the guards. "Listen, there's a family with a little boy who's missing. They think he's in the Infirmary. If I can just get…"

"Sorry ma'am, but you'll have to wait in line."

"This is a child we're talking about! Are you heartless!?"

"No, just fair. Get in line."

Hikari threw her hands up, turned, then swung her fist right at the troop's head with the power fueled by frustration. It landed square on the soldier's head, making stars explode in his vision. Hikari shook the pain off her hand, then grabbed his gun out of the holster, and rushed down the stairs. 

"Look, there's something going on over there." Agumon pointed at the fuss Hikari was causing. 

"Oh man, Hikari just slugged that troop!" Lizarddramon pointed at the scene.

"Go follow her, or she'll get killed!" Wex said. "I gotta stay here and repair stuff. You're the fastest Digimon here, go!" He slapped the back of Lizarddramon's Powerarmor vest.

"Me? Alright," The Digimon leaped down from _Firescape _and darted past the yelling troops on all fours.

He quickly caught up with his friend's sister, dodging a shot that came his way. Hikari instantly apologized. "Sorry, I thought those creeps were following me. Besides, it's on nonlethal."

"Yeah, whatever." Lizarddramon spent as much time crawling on the wall as he did the floor. His claws easily dug into the steel wall.

After about twenty flights of stairs, they hit the Infirmary floor. Hikari wasted no time kicking open the door. It was hauntingly quiet. The lights were on, but in the evacuation, papers were scattered and equipment left on. "The Children's Ward is that way." Hikari pointed the muzzle of the gun straight-ahead at an intersection.

Even Lizarddramon's strong, inherited legs could barely keep up with frantic Hikari. She called out, "Hello? Anyone here?" While making random turns. She skidded to a halt, waited for a response, then bolted off when a tiny cry echoed down the hall. "We're coming, hold on!"

When the cries got louder, Lizarddramon snagged Hikari's shirt and stopped her roughly. "Hold it!" Even though he was a hair shorter than Hikari, and slightly lighter, he easily prevented her from continuing. "I smell something. Burnt chips."

"So?" Hikari practically screamed. "Let me go!"

"No, it's a spider-bot!"

Hikari stopped fighting. She listened intently, but still heard the child crying. Stubbornly, she thrashed to get away. Lizarddramon held her fast, hissing in her ear to be quiet. The pleas for help broke Hikari's heart, but Lizarddramon kept his composure. An idea unfolded in his head. "How much voltage can you put on those… paddle things."

"The defibrillators? I dunno, maybe three thousand." Hikari began to understand the Digimon's aim. "It's not necessarily the volts, it's the amps. I can get four, which is pretty strong. Might take a little time to charge."

"We don't have much time. Got anything explosive?"

"This is an Infirmary, not a bomb factory."

"There's a lot of metal on him. Have any really big magnets?"

Hikari thought for a second. "The CAT scan! Those things will draw in metal like Agumon with food. It's the other way though, to the right, last door."

"Go get it warmed up, I'll be the bait at the end of the line."

"You'll be alright? You can't use your gun or anything metal."

Lizarddramon hadn't thought of this, but still insisted he lure the spider-bot in. "Go. Call when it's ready."

Hikari still looked doubtful, but another call for help from the child sent her running.

Few things pleased Xantos more than busting up other people's plans. At this point, he was ecstatic. When the guard he'd struck a bargain with approached him with a tough motif and grunted, "Follow me." He sang like a canary.

"You have to change the code on your door. They know what it is."

"And so do you. When will they strike?"

"During the sleep period, undoubtedly."

"Good, good. We'll plan a stake out, and surprise those little worms with a hail of stun shots. Heh, Xantos, you're as good as out of here."

"And Lee is too."

"Right, right. You know, you could act like you're part of the group…"

"Won't work. Only a handful of humans are in it. Besides, I don't want to be in the crossfire."

The guard chuckled. "You've got a good mind Xantos. That'll get you places."

"Uh huh. So do I have to go back to my meaningless task?"

"Feel like wearing electric cuffs for awhile?"

"I've seen this one. He's a good leader, and I think he's learned his lesson. We could use more agents like him on the field."

Director Russell Mesati, a young, fresh man who Morhin had hand picked to run Omicron Station, paid only half attention. "We always need good agents on the field, and we have lots of them. Why should I release him early? Even if I did I'd have to clear it with Morhin, which could take days."

"He really needs to sort things out." Xantos muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said… We really need to stomp things out. You know resistance factions? They must take up all his time."

Mesati sighed. "I could try to clear it up, but it's more trouble than it's worth. And that other man, Lee was it? It'd take just as long. I could have my associates see what they can do."

"Please… try to do it. He's a good man. In fact, he's been a good agent among the slaves."

That caught the Director's attention. "Is this true?"

Xantos quickly nodded. "There's been talk of a riot. The slaves are getting angry."

"I'll have security tripled and all the locks changed. And… perhaps I should put your parole on high priority."

"Thank you sir." The guard saluted sharply then escorted Xantos out. As they boarded the transport leading back to the outer ring. "That went better than expected."

"Better?"

"I expected to have to reason a lot more. He's a weak leader. Scares and bends easily. Other officers would just say: 'They wouldn't dare. And we could take care of it' So we got off easy. There was a long, uneasy silence. "I usually don't collaborate with slaves, but the name's Harold."

"You know my name." Xantos waved a dismissing hand. 

"Hey, we may be working together, but I'm still the guard and you're still the slave."

"Heeeeere spider, spider, spider." Lizarddramon rasped. He tapped the butt of his gun against the wall. "Hang on kid, I just gotta get rid of some bugs." He assured the child. The smell of melted steel was unmistakable. Any second now, a big metal robot would spring out and try to kill him, but when?

The hall was deathly silent. A brief squeal of metal against metal made Lizarddramon's blood run colder than it already was. His itchy claw, barely contained, gently squeezed the trigger enough to make any more pressure fire the gun. He turned around to find nothing. He peered inside a door to the left, saw just a cluttered desk. The air remained still.

Lizarddramon relaxed a little, bringing the gun to his shoulder. "Huh where…"

A crash that echoed all around the Infirmary made Lizarddramon whirl around. Bits of tile poured off of the spider-bot. Lizarddramon quickly recognized this one as the first of the spider-bots they'd captured from its two useless legs. It had strategically tunneled and popped up so it blocked his path to Hikari. 

"Oh you're a clever bastard aren't you."

Just as the Digimon finished his statement, a pair of lasers lanced out towards him. Expertly dodging them, Lizarddramon caught hold of the ceiling and launched himself up and over the spider-bot. Running like a mouse in front of a hungry Gatomon, Lizarddramon zigzagged a crazy slalom through the hall. Heat from the lasers incinerated places he'd just left. "Get ready Hikari! He's pretty pissed off!"

Hikari frantically rerouted every last ounce of power to the CAT scan. A metal table was already beginning to slide towards the room. "Warning. Electromagnet waves are nearing danger levels."

"I know, I know." Hikari mumbled to herself. Rumbles began pulsating through he ground. That spider-bot was going nuts.

"It's ready! Bring him in!"

Lizarddramon noticed his chaser was getting faster. Probably aided by the magnetism. The Digimon suddenly skidded and turned, just outside the CAT scan room. Unknowing, the enraged robot kept coming, then slammed against the wall. Cracks spiderwebbed outward. In the confusion, Lizarddramon sought shelter inside. The spider-bot only accelerated its fate by firing into the wall. It eventually burst, and the perplexed robot skidded into the machine. It crashed and left an impressive dent. Squirming like a trapped fly, the spider bot used all of its power to get lose, but the magnet overpowered it.

"Let's go!" Hikari might as well have said to empty air. Lizarddramon was already out the door.

"Human, wake up!" Sora had gotten used to the abrupt awakenings at night. "Tonight is the night. Everything's checked and ready. The blaster is loaded, and we're trusting you with it."

"Me? But I can't… I've…"

The Terriermon put his hands up. "These little paws aren't meant for blasters."

"Wait, my friend, Taichi, he can do it."

"No. We trust you because you protect us."

Sora sighed and had the blaster handed to her. She stuck the two power packs between her hip and her pants. She climbed down, roused Taichi, and joined the small crowd of assorted Digimon. 

"I'll go over it one more time. We'll sneak out, ambush the humans at the Soldier HQ. The other Digimon and me will put on electric cuffs and shock collars. You two humans and the other one in another room will dress like guards, and bring us to that idiot Mesati. Say we were planning a revolt." The Terriermon locked eyes with Sora. "Our lives are in your hands. They'll send us into space without so much as a goodbye for uprising."

"You have nothing to worry about, we'll make sure no one gets hurt."

"Except the other soldiers." Taichi amended.

Terriermon tapped his fingers against the wall in some order Sora couldn't understand. The person at the other side did though, and after a moment, the locked door clicked and slid open. Sora and Taichi quickly remembered the blue-haired man from the cafeteria. Sora wasn't surprised.

"Let's go. Everything's prepared." The Scubamon they had met earlier led the way. Nine Digimon in all were in the group, dozens more probably waiting for the chaos to make their move. Terriermon and Scubamon were obviously the head of the revolt. The others ranged from the Elecmon and one-eyed Gazimon they'd met on Earth and the Geckomon from the meal, to a few others they hadn't met. There was a pair of Gotsumons, one noticeably lighter than the other, and a blue-shelled Crabmon, along with a bat-like Digimon none of the humans could identify.

A short distance away, the soldier's room lay in wait. Daring the team to enter. Sora glanced around, clicked the safety off of her blaster, and nodded towards Taichi. The pilot leaned against the wall and tapped the letter M on the tiny keyboard, followed by R, and the rest of the code. At the last letter, he held his breath, and gently nudged the S key. 

A few beeps rang out in the air, then the door opened without so much as a squeak. Sora almost fired involuntarily, but lowered her blaster when she found no occupants in the room. 

The Digimon looked among each other, inspecting the room, but found no enemies present. "This seems a bit easy." The Scubamon said as he snapped a shock collar around his leathery neck.

"I know, but we'll have to think of this as a fortunate turn of events." Terriermon narrowed his eyes at each of the three humans. "This is where we'll have to trust you. We'll certainly get killed if we're caught. Act tough, but don't get carried away. Understand?"

"I have one question." Lee spoke up. "You obviously hate humans, you would do this without them, yet you run the risk of dying if we turn you in. Why?"

"Because, we have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. We cannot go lower than this. And we think you're a good man Lee. You too, Taichi and Sora." Terriermon held out his little hands. "Cuff me."

Taichi did so, and got electric cuffs on the rest of the Digimon. Sora and Lee armed themselves to the teeth. The breastplate was full of holsters and equipment sacs, and most of them were became filled with power packs, clips, top of the line Jeron-Lasky C43 grenades. The C class grenades made small, concentrated explosions, and had variable fuses. The humans all gained at least twenty pounds with the armory of the weapons on them. Helmets, shoulder plates, and thigh plates were also equipped.

In five minutes they looked like a small band of Digimon slaves being escorted by three, gun-happy soldiers. As the group went outside, all twelve noticed it was utterly silent. No guards were patrolling the halls. It continued in that fashion all the way to the transport from the outer ring to the center of Omicron station. As they crowded into the shuttle, Taichi whispered to Sora and Lee. "I don't like this. I expected something to happen by now."

"Yeah, I'm getting suspicious myself." Sora replied.

Lee just nodded. 

The drone of the transport dominated the cabin, but inside, every one of the passengers' thoughts were raging. Some brave, some timid, others unsure how to feel.

A full minute later, they docked at the main station. As the door opened into a large, decorated hallway, the three humans checked their guns and blasters one last time. At the end of the twenty-meter walk, a station where a guard would've been posted was empty, and the door was unlocked. Lee hesitantly opened the door. 

It slowly opened to reveal a wide staircase going up. It branched off into several other doors, but the one labeled "Main Office" was their destination. At the other side of the door was a small anteroom, where a lesser officer sat watching a news channel on a TV in the wall. He didn't seem to notice the band as it came to the door leading to Mesati's office.

"Last door. Get ready." Taichi mumbled.

The door slid open.

Mesati sat at his desk, apparently working on some papers. "I thought I asked for no interruptions." He said without looking up. 

"This is important sir. We found these Digimon conspiring against you."

He finally glanced at them. "Yes I know."

A lump formed in Taichi's stomach. "You… do?"

"Yes, there are many things I know around here. You think I wouldn't know when I have an enemy." He snapped his fingers. "And by the way, you're late. They already told me." Two other doors opened in unison, and dozens of guards poured out. Each had a heavy blaster pointed at the group. Among them, all three humans recognized Xantos. 

"You're all going to pay dearly for this." Mesati's voice was dripping with hate as the band of revolters was tackled and forced down. Taichi was satisfied with getting a soldier in the kneecap before a foot made contact with his abdomen. Their armor was ripped off, and emptied of its weapons. Cuffs were roughly attached to their wrists, and they were forced to stand against the wall. Enemies began shouting out punishments; one of which was to shove a remote grenade into their mouths.

Mesati quieted them all. "This wouldn't have happened without Xantos. Let him decide the punishment."

Xantos approached the humans first. His chuckling sounded inhuman through the electric voice box. "Lee, why am I not surprised. You never wanted to be in the army did you?"

Lee declined his head and mumbled "No."

"You just wanted to live a good life, wherever your town was. "Where is that town anyway?"

"Old town, fifty kilometers south of St Louis."

"Mm, Mesati, your cannon is operational, correct?" Xantos asked.

"I could get it ready in ten minutes."

Lee's heart stopped as he conceived what Xantos was thinking. "You wouldn't." He whispered.

"You played with the wrong group Lee. You betrayed me, just like so many others have done."

"Betrayed you?" Lee suddenly became enraged. "I thought you were my friend Xantos. I thought you were different from all of the hot-headed power hungry monsters!" He launched himself at Xantos without thinking, charging into his new enemy. Xantos easily stopped at counter-punched, sending Lee to his knees. 

"Lee, you're so naïve. If only you saw what this really is for." He looked down at Lee. "Morhin has already won. He's too strong for any of us to beat. Besides, he won't destroy everything. He'll bring order."

Lee broke down, tears streaking down his face.

"Of course, you could redeem yourself, and save your town. If you're willing to execute these Digimon, and Taichi and Sora yourself."

_God help him, Lee's falling apart. _Sora felt a strong pity for the Asian man. He faced a horrible decision; both would leave his hands stained with blood.

Lee breathed heavily. _My family, or my kind of people. _A moment passed, then Lee murmured, barely audible, "I can't kill these Digimon directly, or Taichi or Sora."

"Very well." Xantos nodded towards Mesati. "Prepare the cannon for approximately fifty kilometers south of St. Louis. And give the controller to Lee. He'll be firing."

Lee's flinched like he'd been shocked.

Xantos moved on to Sora. "Ah yes, Sora, the girl who was pulled out of the slums. I bet you'd rather be sleeping in a cardboard box in a rainy alley than sitting here now." 

Sora remained silent.

"After Taichi came to save the damsel in distress, where did you go?"

"Boss Zubla's."

"And then…?"

Sora said with gritted teeth. "You know where we went."

Xantos grabbed her by the neck. Squeezing any more would choke her. "San Francisco." She managed to blurt out. 

A satisfied look in his eye, Xantos released his grasp and moved on to the last captured human. "Well, well, well. We meet again Taichi. Told you I'd catch up to and your girlfriend. I was going to just going to launch you into a bare spacewalk, but I thought of something a little more creative. Escape pods are all over Omicron station. Normally, an escape pod is meant to get you away from the danger and recovered within forty-eight hours. But what if there was no recovery? What if you were left there to die?"

Taichi shot a glare that would've made even a Monochromon back down. "You God damned piece of…"

"Ah, ah. Careful or I'll torture you to the point where you're pleading for death. Just like you did to me."

The pilot raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, tortured you? I met you only six weeks ago." 

Xantos laughed out loud. "Sometimes I forget that I swath myself in these robes. Would you like to know why I know you?"

It was a rehorticle question. Xantos was already unraveling the cloth around his head. A mat of unkempt, uncut hair fell down to Xantos's shoulder blades. He felt around his throat, and must have done something to his artificial larynx, because his voice became thin and raspy. "Remember me?" He whispered. 

Taichi squinted, looking at his one, ice blue eye, and the gold tussle of hair. Then it hit him full force. "Oh God. Yamato?"

He arched a scar-ridden eyebrow. "Yamato? Yamato is dead and gone Taichi. He's rotting in the dirt of Japan with _Windrider_."

Now Taichi was thoroughly bewildered.

"Remember when you came to his family, bringing a piece of his ship to them? Do you remember an angry man who told you to never come back? A sobbing mother who accused you of killing her son? And do you remember, a scared little boy who sat in the corner, huddled in fear because his older brother, the one he looked up to and admired, was killed by his own friend?" His voice had risen enough to make veins on his neck visible. 

"No, no it can't be." Taichi was in shock. "Takeru." He whispered the name in disbelief.

"I tried to commit suicide. Would you like to know how? I wasn't planning on having that grenade blow up in my hand, but it almost worked. I was in bed for a year and a half, and now I'm more machine than man!" His voice, weak but filled with anger, was heard by everyone in the room. "You ruined my life Taichi, now I'm going to get my vengeance and take yours!" His fury made even the most callous soldiers feel remorse, for both Taichi and Takeru. "Put him in a pod, send him into space! See how he likes a slow, choking death! And put his girlfriend in there too!"

Taichi and Sora were roughly dragged out of the room, Takeru storming at their heels. They were led through a separate door from the long line in the main room. Inside, two walkways, one leading up, the descending, led to separate escape pods. The door into the pod irised open from the center. Inside were eight seats with minimal restraints, and hardly any floor space. Small round windows revealed the curvature of Earth. _The place I'll never see again._ Taichi thought miserably to himself.

Takeru shoved both of them in the pod, smiling with cracked lips. "Forty-eight hours to reflect on your life Taichi. Enjoy."

"Takeru… please. If you do this, you'll be just as bad as I was. I learned from my mistake."

"You learned from shooting down my brother?"

"I didn't! It was a just a race gone bad!"

Takeru narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps I'll search for your pod after a month or so and find your starved, huddled bodies around each other." The door slowly closed like a shutter. It reminded Taichi of his feelings. Like the light of life getting smaller and smaller, until it disappeared. The sound of engines activating only doubled his grief as they rocketed away from Omicron station and into the dark abyss of space.


	12. The Final Assult

Child cradled in her arms; Hikari raced with Lizarddramon up the stairs. Fortunately, the boy had gone from wailing for his mother to quiet snuffling.

They bumped into several soldiers, who were relived to see them back, but still condemned Hikari and Lizarddramon's recklessness. 

"Listen, these things are deadly killers. We have to evacuate." Lizarddramon said. "They'll be coming in one by one and blowing themselves up before long. I think they're human controlled, they're too intelligent for these kinds of tasks."

"Homidon's already been considering this. Now we need you to return to the hangar, or…"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Hikari shoved by the pestering. She quickly located the family, who practically crushed her with gratitude.

Afterwards, Lizarddramon joined Agumon and Wex, while Hikari went to address the General, but he seemed to have disappeared among the crowd. A gathering of guards by the wall caught Hikari's attention. Meandering her way through the crowd, Hikari picked up a quiet conversation between the RAM troops.

"Staying here would kill everyone. Look at the structure."

"It's just as dangerous outside. The air would make everyone sick within a week."

"We have enough breath masks don't we?"

"We'll have to juggle them around."

"Who cares? I'd give this roof, two, maybe three days before it crumples."

"Has General Homidon been informed?"

"Yes, but he's not to keen on abandoning his base."

"I'm not to keen to it either."

_Great. We have an infestation, and our house is falling down. _Hikari thought to herself. 

"You here something?" One of the soldiers asked. 

Almost unintentionally, both of them drew their blasters. A faint, rumbling sound was reverberating through the wall. This was way too familiar for Hikari to be comfortable. "Get away!" She screamed, pulling back both of the troops. The throng of people and Digimon around her began getting nervous. Soldiers waved guns in the air, trying to herd away the crowd. It was unneeded though, because everyone began crying out and backing up as cracks began forming on the wall. 

"Attention everyone, please head for the stairway in an orderly fashion! We are taking care of the problem!" Homidon's voice boomed throughout the hangar loudspeaker. 

The _Emerald Sunshine_, _Firescape_, and _Neptune's Trident_, which had been finished with battle and space modifications, were being loaded to the maximum, and the engines were warming up.

Homidon have apparently given up with "orderly." "Everyone, head to the nearest capital ship. There's plenty of space for everyone!" _Ram's Charge _could squeeze in maybe, two thousand. His freighter was specifically designed to carry things. He wasn't sure about Benningway and his crews' ships. The Epees held just one pilot, but the Razorbacks needed two. It would be a tight fit. _Better get to the bridge._

Mesati always felt anxious when in a meeting with Morhin. Video link or otherwise. And when he was anxious, his knuckles suffered. 

As the screen flashed the word: "Connecting. Please stand by." He thought about what to say. Morhin's image abruptly appeared on screen. The supreme leader had a faint, disarming smile. His jet-black, braided hair hung back to reveal his pale, clear skin. His actual age was known to few, but Director Mesati suspected with the tyrant's wealth and technology, that he could be more than twice as old as he looked. "Russell Mesati, I was just about to call you."

"Yes sir, well, thanks to a stool pigeon, we recently squelched a revolt by the slaves. I decided to leave the punishment to Xantos for his actions."

"Xantos… the one I sent to work with the slaves?"

"Uh… yes sir. He ejected to of the leaders, which happened to be personal enemies, into space with no food or water."

Morhin grunted. "Messy, and with many unknown factors. But it was a good decision on your part. Rewards for impartiality."

"Well, the purpose of my contact is for… permission to use Omicron station's weapon. Another one of the leaders, which by some coincidence, was Xantos's lieutenant, is being punished by firing Omicron Station's laser at his hometown."

"Be my guest." Morhin said with a somber grin. "And while it's warmed up, fire at the center of the old city of San Francisco. The rebels there have wasted too many Black Widows."

"Affirmative sir. Omicron station, out." Mesati sighed with relief. That man sent shivers down his spine.

He opened another channel to the people working at Omicron station's core. "Maximum power to the superlaser." The laser had no real name, but Morhin would surely change that. 

"Yes, sir." A voice crackled from his personal comm. "Power at ten percent."

Mesati switched to another channel. "Adjust the lens ten point sixteen degrees left, twenty seven point zero six degrees down."

"Adjusting position sir." Another voice replied. 

Mesati made the short trip to the bridge. Inside, a grief-stricken Lee gazed out at Earth through a window that made up an entire wall. At the center of the room was a panel with several buttons, but at the center was the most important. 

_This part always gets me excited. _Mesati fished a thin square of plastic out of his pocket. Along it was were a set of seemingly random marks and shapes, but this was the key to his station's terrifying power. He slid the object into a tiny slot. After a moment, the sensitive scanner approved Mesati's code, and a panel opened, revealing a plastic case.

"Power at seventy five percent." The weapons technician voice reported from the Director's comm. 

Mesati motioned for Lee, who'd been released to fulfill his punishment. It was uncomfortably quiet while the superlaser slowly powered up. 

A meter to the left of the case slowly oozed up. _Ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine…_

"Canon ready sir."

"Every one of the room's occupants watched Earth as it prepared to be scarred by Morhin's desire. Mesati felt a small wave of pity. Morhin would tear apart every forest to destroy even the smallest enemy. But he couldn't think of Earth's health now, duty calls. He lifted up the plastic case, revealing a simple, red button with the label "Fire" on it. Lee stared at the button like it was a glowing pile of nuclear radiation. He looked up and out to Earth, barely able to contain his rage, specifically towards Takeru, who stood behind him, probably smiling under his robes. He was a disturbed man who knew only revenge.

Lee hovered his palm above the panel. "Mom, Dad, Shiuchon, I'm sorry." He whispered a silent prayer, then gently depressed the trigger.

The laser fired in a heartbeat. All of Omicron station shuddered as the terrifying power shot out at blinding speed. The beam grew smaller in the distance, but a cloud above the area was pierced and incinerated, along with anything in a kilometer's distance. The laser continued it's terrible onslaught for ten seconds, then became thinner and thinner until it disappeared into a singularity. 

Lee folded his arms down on the podium, then buried his face in it. The soldiers laughed and slapped each other on the back, then slowly filed out of the room. Mesati looked pityingly at Lee, and waited for a moment before allowing him to be taken away. In a few minutes, Omicron station would fire again at a different location. Mesati entered new coordinates for San Francisco, waited for awhile in silence, and then received the signal that the superweapon was ready. Xantos, the only other occupant, chuckled as he approached the button. He stood watching outside the window, then slammed the fire trigger without hesitation.

The evacuation of RAM HQ went surprisingly smoothly. A few hundred people had to go on foot, but they went outside without a spider-bot attack. Homidon went over his mental list again and again, but couldn't find anything he hadn't done yet. _Except find a shelter. _His freighter-turned-warship settled at the outskirts of the city, where buildings were scarce. A head count reported everyone was present. Most of the civilians tried to get some sleep, even in the morning sun. 

Homidon looked in the general direction of his base. His castle. His home. Ridden with spiders now. He grunted in abhorrence, wishing he'd began his campaign earlier instead of waiting around. An idea formed in the General's mind. He, and four thousand people and Digimon were homeless. Why keep waiting for a moment grew less likely with every minute. _Ram's Charge_, Benningway's corvettes, all of the fighters, they could fight in space. He had several allies, who in turn had several more allies. It was all one disorganized network. _That I need to bring together. _He turned towards a slumbering comm officer. "Open me up a channel to Mt. Shasta." 

The startled man quickly nodded and began the process, but tilted his head in confusion. "Uh, sir, there's… some kind of energy flux."

"What?" 

"I can't get a signal through. It's caused usually from huge power sources absorbing the radio signal."

"Where would you find a huge power source around here?"

Homidon's question was answered with a blinding flash of light, hardly two kilometers away. It was like a flash of lightning that refused to retreat into the sky. White and yellow energy rained down from the heavens, incinerating anything that crossed its path. As quickly as it came, the beam, shrunk in on itself and disappeared.

The shock wave sent an Epee onto its side, and a thousand people were flung like toy dolls by the awesome power. 

Over the course of ten seconds, the General's face went from shock, to pure rage. "Get that channel through. We're taking down that cowardly bastard!"

After the first half-hour of all-out crying, and another ten minutes of quiet sobbing, Sora began to calm down. Her nose ran like a faucet, so she just used her wrist as a tissue.

Taichi himself shed a few, silent tears. Hikari and Agumon could be dead, _Peregrine _was probably impounded and stripped down for parts, but someone would have to keep a steady head. 

The escape pod slowly spun in space and it was doomed to do so for as long as it was in space. Sora watched out the window each time Earth appeared. After the fifth time, she leaned over on Taichi, and wrapped her arms around him. _Why not? We're dead anyway. _

Taichi was a little surprised, but returned the light hug. _She looks so small and fragile. _

Sora felt safe and secure in Taichi's arms, as though it was some kind of haven in the sea of hopelessness. "Taichi… what'll it be like?"

"What?"

"When we run out of air. What's it like to suffocate?"

"Depends. If it goes slowly, then we'll probably feel dizzy, fall down, and slowly fall asleep. If it gets cut off suddenly…" He paused. "It's like a thousand needles stabbing at your lungs."

Sora pulled him a little closer. She couldn't hold it in. "Taichi… Tai-kun, I… I…" she whispered into his ear.

Taichi nearly gasped, but silenced his breath. He gently squeezed her, and brought his chin onto her head and whispered. "I love you too." He firmly planted a kiss on her head, then moved down to her mouth, and locked lips for a moment.

Sora's feelings began to stir. She pulled even closer, trying to harness the emotion and chase away the dread. 

The two went on for several minutes, kissing hungrily and sharing their passion. Sora became braver. Taichi shifted uncomfortably, and with cheeks thoroughly flushed, allowed Sora to sit on his lap and touched bodies. 

Loosing track of time, Taichi decided to go further, and moved down to her neck, making tiny, red marks. Sora felt warmth, which flooded out the cold in heart. She never realized how frozen she'd felt until now. _Until I met Taichi._

Taichi coolly began touching her bare skin. Sora shivered slightly, but didn't brush away his hand. She wanted his love; she never wanted this moment to end. 

An unknown amount of time later, Sora and Taichi felt nothing but love for each other. Both temporarily forgot all of their troubles, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Sora opened her eyes, for the first time in a while, slowly and comfortably. That is, until she recollected her memories. _Revolt… capture… Omicron station… the escape pod… Taichi… Oh God… _She suddenly felt much more awake. She looked down at herself, blushed tremendously, and got out of Taichi's grip. She paused to look out of the window before getting dressed. Earth looked much smaller now and didn't fill the window. She must've been asleep for a good twelve hours. The escape pods were meant to get away from action quickly, and were launched at a very high speed. Earth disappeared in the void, and so did Sora's hope. Despite last night's (or was it morning's?)… events… the dread had seeped back. 

On the small console, Sora eyed the row of buttons and lights. Taichi was a total whiz at computers. Maybe he could…

Taichi stirred. The body warmth of Sora had been replaced with stale, cool air. He rubbed his forehead with his hand, and groaned softly as he awoke. If anything, his cheeks were even more crimson than Sora's had been. He quickly put on his clothes, and joined Sora at the computer as casually as possible. "What're you looking at?" 

Sora pointed at the screen. "Is there anything we can do?"

Taichi looked for some kind of "ON" switch. He pressed just about every button on the console, but nothing happened. "Looks like they disabled all if the systems but the comm. It's a pretty old one too. They didn't expect us to call anyone."

A pit formed in Sora's stomach. "You can't adjust the air?"

Taichi glanced back at her. "Why would we?" 

"Because I don't want to sit around for another day and a half!" Sora suddenly blurted out. "I want to get it over with!" 

The pilot turned back around, looking for some kind of control. "I don't see anything that works." 

Sora balled her hands, turned to the window, and beat it furiously, screaming, "Break! Break! Just let me die!" Her fists burnt as she uselessly battered the thick panel. 

Taichi tried to calm her down. "Sora!" He pulled her away before she hurt herself. "Listen to me, wasn't it you that said, 'What's wrong with looking on the bright side?' Do you still think this is all destiny?"

Tears lined Sora's eyes. She couldn't find what to say, so she just buried her face in his chest. "So many people have died because of me." She said between sobs. "My mother, that child, now everyone at RAM, the Digimon and you."

Taichi decided to let her cry herself out, though he didn't know why she had gone from passionate to suicidal in such a short time. _Woman and their mood swings. _He waited for a little while before Sora broke away and sat on the curved couch. Outside of the window, she saw the Moon, large and full. A question tickled at the back of her head. "Taichi, you don't think we'll hit the Moon, do you?"

"For both of our sake's, I hope not."

"Why?"

Taichi joined her at the window. "About two hundred years ago, the U.S set up a base on the Moon. They called it Project Eden. There was something on the Moon though, something not right. The people acted like robots. Lost the tone in their voices, and eventually broke away from Earth. I heard they've laid all kinds of traps. Space mines, and radio reflectors, anything to keep invaders out."

"But I don't see any buildings."

"Maybe they're on the other side." 

A short time passed, and then a faint, fuzzy sound came from the computer. Taichi went over to it, and studied the controls. "Weird. Looks like someone is trying to contact us… but…"

A voice that sounded like a zombie echoed through the cabin. Occasional bursts of static obscured his voice, but his words were clearly heard. "Intruder. Intruder."

Another voice that sounded like it came from a preteen boy came from the comm. "We must destroy all intruders." Two dots outside the window quickly became thumb sized.

Taichi frantically tried to communicate with the two pilots. "Wait, wait! Please! The two of us were just launched out here to die! We're unarmed, and we have no food and water! We didn't mean to intrude!"

The wait, which lasted almost ten minutes, was unbearable. Finally the younger pilot replied. "We help. We help. I will shoot a towing beam."

Taichi got a good look at the ships, which were nothing like he'd seen before. Both had a round, tinted glass cockpits, which had three four-meter long fins jutting out at forty five-degree intervals from the port side. A curved fuselage with a trio of unknown type lasers connected the three fins. The fighters resembled a portion of a bike wheel.

From the ball cockpit, a white beam cracked outward like a lightning bolt and latched onto the escape pod. The sudden change of direction threw off Taichi and Sora's balance, but within a few seconds, they were going along at a steady pace. 

Sora felt like she'd been thawed out of a sub-zero freezer. "Taichi?"

"What?"

"Destiny can kiss my ass. Luck is my new friend." 

Homidon surprised even himself. Within two days, four thousand people had been moved to Mt. Shasta. Many more arrived in the spacious fortress. The Mt. Shasta resistance had invited the DDRG, the Digimon from Refuge, and many, many other smaller groups to a grand meeting. The oval room contained twelve ambassadors in all, including Homidon. The leaders were a mixed bag of men, woman, and Digimon of all ages. Chalca Walleck, the chief of the Mt. Shasta resistance, a tall, handsome man with sandy hair in a crew cut sat on a lavish chair, and after formalities were exchanged, asked for quiet among the chatting leaders. Homidon was located between Chalca and an elderly woman with an odd sense of formal wear. He'd learned her name was Maxine. 

"Quiet, quiet please." Chalca Walleck called for attention. "As you've all been informed, Morhin's new weapon, Omicron station, is fully operational. Currently, the station has minimal armament, according to our scouts. Because we cannot risk being eradicated one by one, General Skot Homidon of RAM has called for a motion. Is everyone in agreement that we must ally into one group?"

All of the leaders nodded unanimously.

"Then our question is: how will we attack?"

"We should go frontal assault. The base has few defenses, and we can strike at his heart!" A gray streaked man suggested. 

"Are you suicidal?" Maxine interrupted him. "We would be taken out by that infernal laser. A stealthy attack is much more logical." Several others, including Homidon, murmured agreement, but an equal number didn't. 

"A complex strategy will take too long to develop!"

"That laser could be targeting us even now!"

"We don't have unlimited resources, we need to preserve!"

Shouts began filling the hall. Chalca raised the volume on his microphone, and boomed a single word. "Silence!"

The hall quieted instantly.

"Arguing will get us nowhere. We must solve this as calmly as possible." At the center of the oval seating was a holoprojecter. Chalca brought it up to a picture with a quarter of Earth visible and a tiny Omicron station motionless above it. 

"I have been plotting for a mission like this for quite some time." Chalca went through his whole plan. Many eyebrows arched when it finally completed with: "Omicron station is destroyed, and we sweep up whatever's left."

"Mr. Walleck, the plan is clever, but what about the danger of the…" A younger woman straight across from Homidon started.

"We'll be traveling too fast for anything to catch us. And it's the only way we can come in quietly and hammer Omicron station. Compromise, see?"

The ambassadors looked among each other and silently agreed. "We will go along with the plan." Homidon spoke for everyone.

Chalca smiled warmly. "This plan will be downloaded into every computer of every ship. We'll need five days to prepare before we launch Operation: Boomerang. Thank you." 

Taichi and Sora were aghast at the huge, smooth curves of the buildings and enormous shipyards that had been blanketed with some kind of projection. Clear tubes connected buildings like veins in a body, and a vast amount of ships flew by like a metropolis at rush hour. A bubble, much like the pressure screen from the hanger at Omicron station, kept air and pressure up, and wiggled about as they were hauled into it. After they landed, Taichi got a look at the two pilots that had saved them as they pried open the compartment. The air that rushed in was quite a bit under room temperature. The rescuers were almost as surprising a sight as their ships. 

The younger pilot had boyish features, but was nearly as tall as Taichi and his companion looked middle aged, but towered at more than two meters. Both had pale skin, glassy looks to their dark eyes, and basic, dark blue flight suits. The older pilot spoke with little feeling. "Stay here. We will bring you nourishment. Do not leave."

"Do not leave." The younger pilot agreed as they both departed.

Taichi stepped outside, and bounced on his toes. "Woah, hey!" He found himself falling in slow motion as he tripped. The bump sent him careening up two feet. "They haven't figured out artificial gravity yet?"

"Apparently not." Sora stepped outside the stronger gravity field of the escape pod, with more caution. She grabbed Taichi around the waist, hoisted him up like he was a toddler and managed to throw him a little ways back into the escape pod. He landed heavily back on the hard floor. "They told us to stay in there."

"You're a scream Sora."

"There's not much gravity here, and that puts less strain on their bodies, so that's why they're so tall."

"Kinda creepy, a kid that's a good foot taller than he should be."

Sora nodded. All was quiet for a moment, save for the odd ship making an entrance. "Taichi, do you think we can contact RAM from here? And maybe convince them to work with Homidon?"

"Yes and no. They probably prefer to keep to themselves."

Another uncomfortable silence passed. A question nagged in Sora's head. "Taichi, Takeru said… you killed his brother."

"I don't know where he got that idea." Taichi quickly let out "It was a race gone bad. Yamato had a new ship, the _Windrider_. I couldn't help but challenge him, and his controls failed. I spent hours searching among the wreckage, but grabbed a piece of the hull instead. I thought his family would understand, but his father went ballistic, I got a slap from his mother, and Takeru shamelessly burst into tears." His head descended. "He was my only true friend, until Agumon, at least. I've occasionally been plagued with nightmares, really vivid ones." He quickly cleared his throat. "But I don't know where Takeru got the notion I killed his brother."

The two pilots returned later with, carrying several containers. "Eat." The boy said. 

Taichi peeled open a container, and found rows of insects. "What are these?"

Sora glanced over. "Roasted crickets. Just like from home." She stole one from the multitude and stuffed it in her mouth with the fresh wheat bread and tender steak. After washing it down with cold milk, she asked, "Is everything here home-grown?" 

The two Moon people nodded in almost simultaneously.

"Wow. So you guys are pretty self-sufficient." Taichi didn't bother to swallow before talking.

"Yes. We make everything here." The older pilot said. Neither of them left for a minute, and Sora became curious. 

"Uh, why are you waiting?"

"Mother wants to see you." The younger pilot replied.

"Mother?" 

"Mother is our leader. She seized control and helped through everything. She was in the first generation of the Luna."

"Um…" Taichi searched for the right words. "We may have to learn a few things about your culture."

Taichi and Sora walked down a large tube with Nammu and Ki`raga. The two Lunas had revealed their names along the way, along with many important things to remember when addressing Mother. 

"Do not stare in her eyes for a long time. It is a sign of challenge, a rude one at that." Nammu, the younger one, advised. 

"And when speaking, do not raise your voice. You must lean on one knee and wait for her approval to rise. Be sure to speak humbly, and do not groan or growl, even if you do not agree with what she says." Ki`raga picked up from Nammu's lesson 

Taichi whispered to Sora. "I just thought of something, this Mother of theirs, she's like a dictator, right?"

"I guess."

"Well just look at how they've flourished under a tyrant." They reached a wide door that silently swished open.

"You're saying Morhin is really a good guy?"

"Later."

The surprises seemed to never end on the Moon. Based on information from Nammu and Ki`raga, Mother was easily two hundred years old, but she didn't look a day over thirty. Light wrinkles lined her face, but her pale, decorated face covered most of the trenches. Her fashion was a mixture of dark and light garments. She wore a milky white gown under a layer of soft, dark robes. Much of her jewelry had synthetic diamonds that could've been easily mistaken for real ones, and rainbow gems that sparkled in the light. On both of her cheeks, a pair of polished stones had been adhered to her skin, and the braids in her red hair were expertly done. 

Taichi and Sora did as they were instructed earlier, and knelt before the queen's throne. For a moment, Mother said nothing, then faintly smiled. Her voice wasn't like everyone else's. She spoke with a wide variety of tones. "Earthlings. You should be glad Nammu and Ki'raga trusted you. Others may have incinerated your feeble ship."

Taichi exhibited his expert sense of sweet-talking. "Your majesty, our arrival was completely accidental. We did not intend to invade. If you could just provide us with a ship outbound…" 

"Provide you, mere Earthlings, with one of our ships? The idea!" She laughed aloud, so did every other Luna present. She became serious again. "Rise Earthlings, and reveal your names."

Taichi spoke first. "Taichi Ya…"

"Silence!" Mother snapped. "How dare you disallow a woman to speak first?" 

Startled, Taichi took a step back. "Uh… apologies. I have few facts about your civilization."

The queen glared lasers at Taichi, but smiled and nodded toward Sora. "Your name?"

"Sora Takenouchi." 

A murmur went through the crowd, and the queen looked slightly aghast. "Sora?" Mother echoed 

"Is… there… something wrong with it?"

Mother gnawed on her lip. "Nothing." She snapped out of her reverie. "I suddenly feel unwell." She turned to one of the men standing by her. "Mircs, please escort these two to a proper room."

A man easily two and half meters tall with heavy armor and a nasty looking scythe approached them. Silently, he motioned for them to follow. Taichi and Sora were lead through a clear tube leading out of the grand chamber. Along the way, he spoke in a rumbling bass voice. "The reason you were excused was Sora's name. It is a legend from the ministers. A woman named Sora would come and bring a vast war to the Luna, followed by a long prosperity. It said nothing about her being an Earthling."

"Well it must be a coincidence. I've done nothing special." Sora's tone easily suggested she hadn't bounced back from her grief.

"Mother is superstitious."

"Yeah, about Mother, how can she be two hundred years old?" Taichi asked.

"Of this few know."

"Could it have been genetic splicing? I heard it was possible to slow down the aging process."

Mircs grunted. "Toying with life is a Luna sin." They reached another building, much lower and blander than the previous, and turned at the first door. "Your room."

A full wall was transparent glass, probably tinted from its dark shade. Outside was a spectacular view of the scattered buildings and tubes, and a fat crescent of Earth. Sora lay down on the bed, and stared out of the window, wondering if Homidon and Wex and Hikari and Lizarddramon and everyone else at RAM were even alive.

Three days after arriving at Mt. Shasta, two more rebel groups had shown up and added their firepower and Operation: Boomerang was anxiously waiting to be carried out. Tacticians and computers had been crunching numbers and figuring odds. Despite their work, there were a million ways the mission could go wrong, and even the strongest computer couldn't factor in so many variables. Size was important though, and Chalca's scientists were putting together a radio message to invite any other faction to assist. 

At this point, the Rebel Armada, as many people had been calling it lately, was counted at six cruisers, twenty frigates, twenty-two destroyers, thirty-nine corvettes, two squadrons of gunboats, and one hundred and seventy five, or three and a half wings, of fighters. That was barely a tenth of Morhin's forces, but the Rebel Armada would have the element of surprise, in more than one way.

Wex, Agumon, and Lizarddramon were a blur of motion as they checked, double-checked, and triple-checked every ship with two dozen other mechanics. The trio had reserved an SGG-71 Warhammer for the upcoming battle. They made sure to make special modifications on their very own ship.

Agumon didn't appear very thrilled. He worked slowly, deliberately, like he hadn't had an hour of sleep in days.

Wex was the first to notice Agumon didn't have the glint in his eye the way he usually did when cross wiring 3rd party systems into a ship. "Agumon, what's been happening?" Wex asked while replacing an old targeting computer with a custom-made model he'd spent weeks on. "You've been pretty quiet, and I haven't seen you scarf yourself lately."

Agumon began unscrewing a panel even slower than he already was. "I've…" He sighed deeply. "Been wondering how long it'll be before I see Taichi again. If he even comes back."

"Of course he'll come back." Wex removed the apple-sized CPU of the targeting computer. "Taichi's too stubborn to die."

The Digimon managed to crack a wan smile. "Yeah, we've been through a lot." The last screw finally came out, but Agumon didn't bother to catch the plate as it fell out. "Half my energy comes from Taichi. He's always there when pirates are chasing us, or we're being targeted by gangs, or slapped with a huge bill. But now, it's like the shields of security are down. And the enemy is closing in…"

Wex carefully matched up the wires and laced them together. "Well, I suppose during Operation: Boomerang, we can look up prison files later, maybe find some clue as to where he is."

"And Sora."

"Right. Sora too."

A fellow engineer came onto the Warhammer. "Hey you two, Chalca has compressed the schedule. Seems Omicron station is firing non-stop. Tomorrow, at six PM. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll spread the word." Wex waved a hand to dismiss the messenger. He locked in the new targeting computer core and replaced the covering. "Now, let's see how my handiwork paid off." Wex stood up from under the command console and flipped a few switches. 

The computer booted up, but printed out on the screen: "New software detected. Unable to install, components not compatible."

"Piece a` crap." Wex mumbled as he slammed a palm down on the command console. "Well, I hope Chalca knows what he's doing. We're going to the mat on this one."

Sora was summoned not an hour later by another immense guard. She walked down the hall with the silent trooper; back to Mother's room. There, she found the inside mostly empty. She was led to a door by the side of the fancy throne, and into Mother's own room. Inside, silk curtains hung from a three-meter high ceiling. Trinkets of every kind of color were lined up neatly on a finely polished wood stand. Paintings, some wild swirls of color, others, portraits of unknown people, took up more space than the deep red walls. A faint, sweet odor wafted through the air. Outside one window was a grand view of the Luna's bizarre sense of building design. At a bed, Mother herself sat up and gazed out of the window. She turned at the sound of the door opening, and smiled like a true politician. 

"Sora, please sit down." She motioned to a pure white, overstuffed armchair. "Ramma, go fetch us a tray of tea."

The sentry nodded curtly then exited the room.

"Sora, I understand you've come a long way to get here. Please, tell me what incidents caused you to wind up in such a remote place."

It was such a long story, Sora had to take a moment to gather up the facts and organize them. "Well, I was fighting for a rebellion on Earth, in the U.S, or Morhin Union. I was captured in a sniping attack against one of his top men, and they put Taichi and me in a slave camp. Then we moved into a huge space post, called Omicron station. There was a revolt there, and I was caught in it. I was launched into space in that escape pod, and by some stroke of luck, got picked up by two pilots."

The queen nodded and took Sora's entire story in. "Do you know of a legend in our culture, more of a folktale, in where a woman with the exact same name as you comes and brings a great disaster to our people, then a golden age will follow."

"Well, it must have a one in a trillion chance a woman named Sora would show up here. I really would like to get back to Earth."

The door opened, with the guard who had returned with a silver platter. He gently set it down on a table and left without a word. The queen filled a painted teacup with the steaming liquid. Not wanting to be rude, Sora did the same. She never cared for anything besides water. 

Mother carried on the conversation. "You say you came from a rebellion?"

"Yes."

"A rebellion against whom?"

"Well, there's a monarch down on Earth. Taichi and me wandered into the whole thing by accident, and we felt obliged to help."

Mother took a sip of the hot drink, and suddenly changed the topic. "This Taichi, is he your mate?"

Sora reddened. "Well, I… guess you could say we're… you know… in a relationship."

The ruler nodded, then just as abruptly changed the subject again. "You spoke of a space station?"

"Omicron station." Sora confirmed.

"Is it capable of reaching the Moon?"

"I don't know, but Morhin has a firm grip of power. It could be only a little while before he controls Earth."

"Yes, I understand the planet has been scarred by a space rock."

Sora began pushing for an idea that had sprung up. "You know, he may go through Earth's supplies quickly. The Moon may be his next target."

Mother nearly choked as she sipped. "I would not allow it." She said firmly. 

"I don't mean to be look down on your civilization, but think about it. It'd be easier to destroy something before it grows too large."

The queen seamed to consider this, then put down her cup and stood up. She walked over to a wall and removed a picture of a woman from it. Behind the picture was a five by five gird of lights. Mother pressed them in a seemingly random order. The wall suddenly split apart in that area, revealing a single object in it. "I shudder to think of the losses we may encounter, but I hope for the best in the period afterwards." She retrieved the object and held it in front of Sora with an open palm. It was a key. A simple, old style, metal key. "This is the one thing that separates you from the ascendancy chamber. It has been rarely used, but gives you complete control of the Luna fleet."

"You're giving me all of it?" Sora's eyes grew wide.

"Yes, and I'm confident you'll do well with it."

"No, no I can't! It's impossible for me to command so many ships!"

Mother grabbed Sora's shoulders. She seemed strong for a two hundred-year-old woman. "Listen to me. After six husbands, fifty children, and two centuries of building and ruling, I find nothing is impossible."

"But… what happens if I mess up?" Sora asked weakly.

"Then we will rebuild, and try again. There is always that first uncertain step. And if you don't take it, you might as well surrender."

Sora looked uncertainly at the key. It dared her to take it, dared her to fight, dared her to cause more blood and violence. Too much blood covered her hands. Yet, more lives would be taken if Morhin lived. _The death of a few to save many. Maybe that's what it means to be a warrior. _Sora clutched the key tightly in her hand. "I have to keep the death toll as low as possible. And if that means one huge battle, then I'll do it."

The next evening, at mess hall, the air of tension at Mt. Shasta could be sliced with a knife. Eager pilots wolfed down their dinner, and stuck leftovers in their pockets. They knew it would be a long night and day ahead of them, and piled on the food. Wex, Lizarddramon, and Agumon reported to their gunboat. Agumon piloted, while the other Digimon took the port turret and Wex manned the starboard. As soon as every person and Digimon were in their cockpits, Chalca Wallack's voice came in over a public comm.

"All units, we've gone over Operation: Boomerang many times. Let's go over it once more." Every computer in Mt. Shasta played the exact same sequence at once. A grid of lines appeared, with Omicron station at the bottom left corner. "At this point, Omicron station is located over New York City. We will launch on an outward vector, as far from the station as possible." The plan showed a bundle of ships taking off and making a wide turn, putting a good 40,000 kilometers between the armada and the station. "We will rendezvous together, check in, then head on a beeline course for the Moon, which will be in just the right spot for our attack. The sling shot effect will give us a boost to surprise our enemy. No ship could possibly catch us at the speed we will be going." The mass of ships rocketed around the circle representing the Moon. "We have six Haul class heavy lifters in our possession, designated Infiltrator Group. Under a disguised signature, they will attach power sappers to the hull of Omicron station. This in turn will leave all systems cold for ten minutes. Those are the ten most critical minutes. Also equipped in Infiltrator Group are system scramblers. They will allow us to take control of Omicron station, and fire at our own will. We have the Detroit Shipyards and Charleston Harbor on our list. We need to strike a blow, both in supplies, and morale. The mission must be completed. Once we have everything important destroyed, we'll bring down Omicron station. Plans after that are yet to be made." The demo ended. 

"Every one of you here will make a difference in this battle. We need everyone to give everything they have and more. I promise you, Morhin will be taken down. We will conquer this tyrant, and we will make a safe future for our children. God bless all of us, and let us all hope, we return to a free world."

Sora stood with Taichi and Mother outside of the thick metal door which led to the ascendancy chamber. She looked uncertainly at Taichi, and back at the door. That lump that had formed in her stomach far too many times was there again. Mother stood to her left, placed hand on the other woman's shoulder and nodded. Taichi made a much less formal thumb's up, and flashed a grin. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Sora opened the palm of her hand. The simple key challenged her, and Sora met it head on. "I'll see you later Taichi." She gave a light kiss on Taichi's cheek, then turned to the queen. "And thank you, for trusting me with this."

She turned around, back to the door, and pushed in the key. The door opened without the key even turning. Sora stepped through the door as it split apart. Taichi leaned to look inside, but the door snapped shut before he could get a glance. 

Taichi was left alone with Mother. "So, uh… any chance an Earthling like me could grab a ship?"

Mother threw up her hands. "First they want a ride home, now they command over seven hundred capital ships and fighters. I swear you humans are out to conquer everything!"

Inside the chamber, Sora found a single chair under a beam of light. Foreboding as it was, Sora didn't hesitate to sit in it. The chair molded into her form like it was jelly, and a pair of gloves presented themselves from he armrests. A hood dangled down from above, and Sora put it on as well. Immediately, the room brightened, revealing just simple white walls in a small, round room. In front of her, an enormous holographic map appeared, and Sora's chair suddenly became airborne. _Why does this feel so familiar? How do I know what to do?_ By moving the gloves a certain way, she could select ships, move them, tell them to attack or retreat, or zoom in and out. What's more, the chair beneath her would direct her attention by moving to the most important parts of battle. It was so utterly sophisticated; Sora was unsure what to do first.

_Invaders! _The map zoomed out a great distance, then back in on a small swarm of ships. _Wait… _she stared closely, and saw the outline of one. Ram's Charge_? But how? _Something in Sora told her to attack and overwhelm the enemies, but her consciousness pushed it back. _Homidon is alive! So is everyone else! And they have made many allies! _She was shocked that she'd almost ordered an attack on them._ It's like I'm becoming a Luna, using this. I have to keep my head clear._

Sora selected all of the rebellion ships with a subtle motion, and turned them from red to green with one word. "Ally." The 3-D map zoomed out. Sora focused it in again on a large object. Omicron station. Twice as big as the Mobile Gun Platform _Dragoon. _Sora gave up on trying to figure out how she knew these facts.

It appeared the throng of ships would swing around the Moon and surprise the Morhin station. _Omicron station won't know what hit it._

Chalca's voice came from his personal ship, the _Jupiter_. "Alright, all units report in before we go."

Each of the squadron leaders checked in with their pilots. All of the pilots went through a systematic check and reported back to their leader. One by one, each of the twenty squadrons reported in.

"Griffin squadron, standing by."

"Freedom squadron, standing by."

"Lance squadron, standing by."

"Valor squadron, standing by."

"Ibex squadron, standing by."

"Gold squadron, standing by."

The lengthy list of squadrons finished. The leaders were free to name their own squadrons, and some were fairly original. They were quickly followed by capital ships.

The _Jupiter _reported in, followed by the _Hammerhead_, _Ursa Major_, _Ram's Charge_, _MetalSeadramon_, _Emerald Sunshine, Lion's Pride, Orion, _and many others.The battle officer at Chalca's right spoke. "All units are ready and accounted for."

Chalca quickly wiped a bead of sweat. One word and the operation would begin. He could not stop until they succeeded, or were destroyed. Should he send so many people to their possible death to try a risky but beneficial mission? _Ha. What a no-brainer. _"Go."

Three hundred and twenty ships turned on their engines at the exact same time, and went at the exact same speed for five seconds, then shut them off. The vacuum of space let every ship drift at an identical velocity, along a carefully planned route that would swing them around the Moon.

The eighteen-hour flight would mostly be spent sleeping, and the hour-long return to Earth would be spent powering up. At an estimated breakneck speed of a hundred kilometers a second, they'd fairly pounce Omicron station. Agumon, Wex, and Lizarddramon all settled down for a long nap in the gunboat Axe 7. Each hoped it wouldn't be their last.

"Director, I'm picking up something vague on the radar."

Mesati moved towards the large screen. "What are those things? Focus in on them." Omicron station's radar had a unique ability to concentrate on a specific spot. It left them blind everywhere else for a minute, but could detect even the tiniest objects thousands of kilometers away.

"They appear to be ships. The radar signature isn't ours."

The Director turned and headed for his office. "Something is amiss. I will contact Morhin." 

Despite almost half a day in the Ascendancy Chamber, Sora felt neither hungry nor tired. The Luna ships were plentiful, but hadn't been used in many years. The dormant engines had difficulty reactivating. The fact the Luna pilots didn't like to be bossed by an Earthling didn't help. 

_Please, hurry up. My friends will be slaughtered without your help. _

The message tickled the back of every Luna pilot, but still they worked slowly. Sora knew Homidon and the others were on a suicide mission. Again, she encouraged the Moon people to make haste. _Morhin will conquer the Moon too, over time. If you destroy him now, he will not be a threat for your children. _That helped a little. Sora had obviously hit the right spot. Even so, it would take about eight more hours before the fleet could organize and take off. The computer predicted that the approaching flotilla would swing around the Moon in a tried-and-true slingshot course. They'd have to fend themselves for half an hour before she could help. 

_Hurry, please. My friends will be here soon. _

"So far, so good sir." The battle tactics officer under Chalca reported. The Moon was large and round now. The General from Mt. Shasta had assessed the risk of the Moon people, but was confident in the armada's speed. Besides, the surface looked as dead as ever. 

"Steady as she goes, Lieutenant."

"Roger that." The bridge was silent, save for a few beeps from on board computers and yawns from waking officers. "One minute to Phase Three."

"All units, I hope you had an enjoyable rest. Check all systems, and prepare for some heavy G's. Full throttle in one minute." Chalca turned to a nearby officer. "Prepare for a hundred percent throttle on my mark."

The minute passed by impossibly fast. A screen in front of Chalca displayed a heavy white line. As soon as all of the _Jupiter_, represented by a rough outline, was past that stripe, they'd rocket off and put the boomerang in Operation: Boomerang. 

"Mark." 

Even with an advanced anti-inertia system, Chalca was nearly knocked down by the force. The Moon grew ten times as fast now. The computer painted a long, square tube on the huge window, showing the best route for them to follow. Minute nudges of the cruiser's trajectory kept it on track, and in its wake, sixteen score ships followed. Ranging from tiny interceptors to two-kilometer long brutes. The G's continued to mount, and Chalca rode through it with both white-knuckled hands gripping a rail. 

"Situation is going as planned." The strained voice of a female tactician reached Chalca's ears. Even so, the groans of his ship made both Generals tense. Homidon's freighter was taking a lot of strain, but the officer at his right assured him it was normal. The Moon swung by faster than Homidon had ever seen. The velocity meter was growing so fast, the numbers at the end appeared a blur. Chalca predicted they'd be going about one thousandth of the speed of light. The small number was immense at this point.

"We've reached maximum estimated speed!" An excited voice came from somewhere on the bridge. "Speed is still climbing!"

They were around the Moon now, and Earth was back in sight. Alarmingly, it was visibly growing. "We're going to be a bit early." Chalca informed everyone. "Re-check all systems. Remember, this is the big one."

_Do not shoot, do not shoot, do not shoot! _Sora screamed this to every Luna who could here. They obeyed without question, but felt stressed at the invader's presence. Sora tried to soothe their fears. _Don't worry. They are our friends. We will help them in destroying Morhin. _The fleet was going over one last check. A tenth of the ships would stay home to protect the Luna cities. Some of the ships attacking were Mobile Gun Platforms. Only three existed, but three might be all she needed. They were saucer shaped, with a long needle jutting out underneath. The entire outside of the disk was dedicated to guns. There were fifty strong, powerful cannons, and a variety of warhead launchers. The shields on the grand battleships were very thick, and could take a lot of punishment. Other attackers would be four Heavy Carriers. Two kilometers long, and a compliment of a hundred and fifty fighters each. They could easily carry every one of the six hundred fighters. Also included were a multitude of assorted ships. Each one was slightly different. 

A light flashed over the huge hangar that housed most of the Luna's fleet. _They're ready to assemble! _Sora unconsciously moved her chair closer to the scene. She selected all of them with a wave of her right hand, then pointed at a spot on the 3-D map. _Form up there. Quickly, please. _The reluctant Luna complied. _Please, hold on Homidon. _

"We're approaching Omicron station, get ready." Major Harold Zizix, who commanded Infiltrator 1, announced to the other five Haul-class heavy lifters. In the cargo compartment of the egg shaped ships were six power sappers to draw energy to the space tugs, and system scramblers, to gain control of the station's laser. The Detroit shipyards were the biggest known. Over a quarter of the Morhin fleet was located there. Charleston Harbor was also held a lot of factories.

"We're in range, activate the comm!"

"Beetle 1 to Omicron station, we have a shipment of food coming in. Requesting clearance."

"Food? We did not order any food. And why are you approaching from the opposite direction of Earth?"

"I don't copy, please repeat."

The traffic controller's voice was abruptly switched. "Beetles 1 through 6, you are invading Morhin space. Exit or be destroyed."

"Sorry, I can't hear you." Major Zizix said with a snicker on his face.

"Perhaps this will grab your attention."

Behind Omicron station, no small percentage of Morhin's fleet lurked. They were hidden by the space station's bulk. First, a multitude of ships swarmed out, followed by medium sized corvettes and frigates. Finally, the noses of gargantuan cruisers peeked out. 

"All units! Break off! I repeat, break off! It's a trap!"

At its current speed, the tow vehicle would take a lot of time and space to turn. Even the brakes did little to slow down the ship. Infiltrator 4 had gotten too eager and moved farther ahead, but was blasted apart by a hail of lasers. _The Rebel Armada is going to hit a wall. _Beetle 1 was splattered with gunfire. "Shields down!" screamed an officer aboard. 

"Infiltrator 1 to _Jupiter_. Slow down and turn back! They're lying in wait!" Those were the last words out of the Major's mouth. Infiltrator 1 exploded under a torrent of fire.

"Do not break off!" Chalca shouted to every fighter and capital ship. He whirled around to a tactician. "Ship count!"

"Not good." The officer woefully shook his head. "We've got ten cruiser classes, forty frigates, fifty five destroyers, nearly a hundred corvettes, and enough fighters to make a big blob on the screen."

"All units, continue with mission! Hammer Omicron station!"

The loyal fighters surged ahead. Not a single one ran away.

"Attack formation! Pattern: Y slash!"

Y slash was an aggressive attack, where fighters would fire mercilessly on the target, then forked off in two directions, making a Y shape.

"We're almost in range. Open fire in five…"

Wex tightened his grip on the joystick. Lizarddramon similarly locked his claws around the trigger.

"Four…"

Agumon wiped a bead of sweat that trickled down his scaly forehead.

"Three…" 

Homidon gripped the armrests on his chair.

"Two…" 

Chalca drew in a breath, anticipating what would happen next.

"One… fire!"

Every part of space between the fleets was instantly lit. A rainbow of lasers crisscrossed each other, then headed for the kill. In one wave, a Rebel Armada frigate was overwhelmed and silently screamed as its reactor was punctured. Two corvettes suffered the same fate. A dozen fighters from various squadrons were incinerated in the flood of lasers. The Morhin fleet had much less damage to their bigger ships, because the screen of fighters took most of the punch. 

Gunfire lanced out towards Omicron station. All of the cannons were focused on the huge space station. Massive shields absorbed all of them. Still, the strong hail of fire put large dents in the clear screen. 

The speed of the Rebel Armada was a disadvantage in some ways. They had to stop firing and turn at an extremely far distance to avoid ramming the station. Some fresh pilots forgot this fact and became human missiles as they viciously rammed into the invisible cloak. It made a bright green flash as the unintentionally suicidal pilots crashed into it at several dozen kilometers per second. Their sacrifices made it easier for their live comrades though, as some portions of Omicron station became exposed.

"Regroup and attack!" Chalca commanded. The fighters complied, and swung around for another pass. At a much slower speed, they got in more hits. Morhin fighters began falling to Earth as barrages of laser fire intercepted them. The Morhin space station was reeling from the sudden attack. Its shields had been nearly halved in strength as the Rebel Armada completed its second wave. 

The celebration of the rebels was short lived as they met with huge cruisers. The Morhin capital ships dropped Rebel ships with grim accuracy. Chalca could only listen as the war channel was filled with battle chatter.

"This is Gold 4, I've picked up an enemy!"

"My shields are down!"

"Thanks Eagle 8."

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

"Axe 2 to anyone, we're floating dead in space!"

"He's right on my six! Get him off! Augh!"

"That's another one down."

"We've lost Freedom 5!"

"I'm in trouble!"

"Griffin 4 and 9, form on my wing."

"I've lost my shields!"

"Woah! He's history!"

"Help! Augh!"

"Valor squadron has been destroyed!"

"My computer won't respond!"

"Stay on target… fire!"

"Mace 7, you've got a pair of bogeys on you!"

"Gold leader has been killed!"

"Thanks 2, I see him."

The clutter of messages rang in everyone's ears. "What's our ship count?" Chalca asked more calmly than he felt. 

"Valor and Nova squadrons have been destroyed, Eagle is down to two, Axe, four, Hornet, Avenger, and Rhino are at three, the rest of the squadrons have half or more. We're down to four cruisers, ten frigates, eighteen destroyers, two thirds of the corvettes, and two and a quarter wings."

"Omicron station's shields are down to thirty three percent!"

"Keep hammering that station!" Chalca yelled. The Rebel Armada was losing its momentum. At first, they'd had the advantage, but now it was turning into one huge dogfight. Every second, another explosion occurred. 

"Yee-haw! Look at that cruiser go down!" A phrase from the jumble of messages caught Chalca's attention. One of the bigger Morhin star ships was beginning to spurt atmosphere and bodies in multiple places as it's engines failed and began tumbling to the planet beneath. Before it could get very far, a blast from within incinerated most of the capital ship. A Morhin frigate that was backing up the destroyed cruiser was badly burnt by the brief fire. The shields, which had been focused towards the battle, did nothing to protect the hull as jets of flame scorched metal plates. 

"How are we doing Walleck?" General Homidon's voice crackled on Chalca's personal comm.

"Not good. We've lost between a quarter and a third of our forces."

"We should've spent more time planning. Their ships are organized into squadrons, ours are cobbled to together."

"I'm aware. If we keep firing at Omicron station, perhaps the Morhin fleet will lose it's moral. Morhin put over three trillion dollars into that monster."

"Sir!" An officer interrupted Chalca's conversation. "_Jupiter _is getting hit hard! We're down to half shields!"

"What's hitting us? There's nothing out there for kilometers!"

"It's the destroyers! They're taking long range shots at us!"

_That's the key. Those destroyers have long-range cannons! _"All units, focus on the destroyer analogs!"

"Come again, General?" More than one confused voice asked.

"The destroyers are long range, but a few warheads and lasers will take them down! That's why they're hanging back!" 

"Attacking destroyers."

Yet another explosion caught Chalca's eye. _Ursa Major_, the third largest ship in the Rebel Armada, had been slain by rows of bombers. The Morhin fleet was incredibly efficient.

_This is a fine mess I've gotten into. _

Taichi sat back in a chair much to big for him, inside the cockpit of a Clawcraft, otherwise known as a Squinty. Their odd nickname came from the cockpit. It itself was a spherical, but the windshield was a long, wide rectangle. It gave the appearance of an eyeball. Four wings, forming a perfect X, jutted out and ended with heavy laser cannons. At the sides of the main fuselage were two Magna missile launchers. Taichi couldn't help but suspect the Luna had intentionally given him the bad one of the bunch. 

The Luna must've had some sort of telekinetic ability, because Taichi heard voices from an unknown source. One caught his ears sharply. _All ships take off. _It was Sora's voice, or at least her mind. 

Taichi was surprised at how little effort it took to shove the joystick forward. He'd been given a short lecture on how to control the Clawcraft. They'd designed it with simplicity in mind, and Taichi got used to familiar systems. 

The dim lights of a battle over Earth could be easily seen. _Homidon finally worked up the nerve to attack. _

_We're ready. Go. _Taichi flicked the throttle, which was all it took to throw it into high gear. _Fighters attack first. Pound the station. Capital ships will follow in a similar style. We should be able to deliver the finishing blow. _

Taichi gritted his teeth. "Hold on Homidon. We're coming to help. 

Up! Down! Veer left! Hook right! Roll starboard! These commands were just a few that whizzed by in Agumon's head. Axe 7 was holding it's own at near full shields. Wex and Lizarddramon shot straight and true. The kill count on the computer registered four for Wex, and six for Lizarddramon. At the helm, Agumon had taken down two with the double space torpedoes, and a trio of guns in front. 

A sudden shudder on the gunboat left its shields dangerously thin. "I'm gonna take some energy from you guys, OK?"

"Right." Two voices said at once. Agumon re-directed laser energy to the shield recharge system. The bands around the defense indicator morphed from sickly yellow to deep green. 

With less power in their guns, Wex and Lizarddramon had to take more shots. The gunboat's strong punches became light jabs. No kills were scored for a long time, until the order to attack Morhin destroyers came in. Agumon swung the SGG-17 Warhammer around, targeting the nearest capital ships. Destroyers were properly named; they had as many laser batteries as a cruiser.

"I'll spare you guys as much power as possible." Agumon shunted energy back to the turrets. 

"The destroyers spread their guns out along the front and back. Attack from the side." One brave fighter released what he'd discovered to everyone in the Rebel Armada.

Agumon adjusted their flight path, then opened fire with wave upon wave of lasers and missiles. The gunboats had been fitted with a pair of Pulsar Space Bombs. The huge explosives could make a blast a half-kilometer wide. The Digimon in the cockpit wished so desperately to use them, but the destroyer was already in its death throes. It erupted in a flash of light. Agumon swung around, finding another destroyer. _No, that's just an empty shell! _He targeted another of the mid-sized capital ships. _Ah, this one's fresh. _Agumon shoved the throttle forward. Before he could get into firing range, a stream of lasers spewed from unknown turrets Earthward, and punched a hole into the overwhelmed the destroyer. 

_Where did that come from? _

A thrilled voice in the comm answered Agumon's thought. "It's the _Moses_! The _Moses _is attacking!"

The site of a three-kilometer long capital ship, with dozens of Angeleyes pouring out was truly grand 

"Minister, glad to see you help." Homidon welcomed the Peace Reformer's leader. 

The _Moses _acted like the man it was named after. Wherever the chip went, Morhin ships scattered.

"Victory favors the one with the most allies, General. Seize the opportunity, we're still but two forces with a common enemy." 

Mesati was getting nervous. He was down to just ten destroyers, and the arrival of that huge ship rallied the Rebels. "Morhin, we need reinforcements! The tide of battle is reversing!"

"I've already sent you a quarter of the fleet! You have a superweapon sitting right under you. I'll send another twenty five percent, but no more."

"You approve shooting it into space?"

Morhin sighed with much exasperation. "Yes! Shoot the God damned Rebels down!"

The Director nodded quickly. "Of course, right away, sir!"

Homidon was growing weary of the battle. Even though _Moses _had shown up, they were still the underdog. Apparently, no one informed the freedom fighters of this, because they were fiercer than ever. Omicron station's shields had restored their power a little, but for once in the past few minutes, the shield indicator was dropping.

_Ram's Charge _was going through strafe after strafe. Rocketing by, opening fire, then turning around and repeating. The shields were holding strong, and the reactor was still stable, despite the turret's unceasing fire. 

"Sir, I'm picking up a huge energy source! From Omicron station!" A radar officer cried out. 

"Are they activating it?"

"I'd bet my life they're turning it on us!"

Homidon gritted his teeth, then opened a comm with Chalca. "General Walleck, inform all units to stay well away from the station's laser."

"Copy that General Homidon."

"Sir!" The same officer shouted. "The station's turning! On the _Moses_!"

Homidon stared in shock outside of the bridge. The Morhin space station was turning faster than anything its size could've, and aimed right at the giant cruiser. 

"_Moses_! Get out of the laser's direction! Run!" Homidon bellowed into comm so loud, that the Minister probably heard just a loud wail. 

The brilliant flash landed square at the port hull. Omicron station discharged its deadly shaft of light. _Moses_, the craft that had brought a spark of hope, was impaled on the broad laser. The ship, miraculously, did not explode, but the wound was lethal. Precious air was sucked out into the cold expanse of outer space. Quickly, the lasers from it died down. The grand cruiser became snared by the gravity Earth, and would float for weeks or months before hitting atmosphere. 

Perhaps, Homidon considered to himself, they could find a way to leave it in space, as a great memorial to this battle, if they succeeded. _Yeah right. We're floundering now. _Options were presented and turned down in the General's mind. "General Walleck, do you have any ideas?"

"How many Infiltrator's do we have left?"

"Just two, I believe. Infiltrator 6 was severely damaged though, but 2 is still operational."

"It's the dogfight of the century out there. We couldn't get them within five kilometers."

"Enemy reinforcements are arriving sir. Three cruisers, eight frigates, a dozen corvettes and destroyers, and another two wings of fighters." A squad leader reported in.

"We're being bombarded General! Shields at thirty-three percent!" An officer shouted above the racket.

Homidon stood silent for a moment. Memories long forgotten suddenly resurfaced. He remembered his youth in the military, his late wife, the meteor falling, the U.S crumbling, building RAM, fighting in this battle… Then it came to him, the perfect idea. He could free his troubled soul, and make a difference in the war.

"Shields at twenty percent! General?"

Homidon grabbed his comm, and set it to be heard throughout the ship. "All units, head for the nearest escape pods, and eject. I will not be joining you."

Officers and technicians gasped. "Sir…" One piped up. "You're not thinking of…"

"Get to the nearest escape pod." Skot Homidon interjected firmly. 

The other people and Digimon looked painfully at each other, then glumly went out of the room. 

"Ship computer, inform me when all other units are off." Homidon spoke aloud when everyone was gone. Ten minutes, and ten more destroyed Rebel capital ships later, the female computer voice confirmed everyone else was gone.

"Revert all energy to ship engines and forward shields. Including life support and lights." Hopefully, the final run would kill him before the lack of oxygen did. The lights dimmed, and the air vent silenced. "Now plot a straight course to the center of Omicron station. Override all safeties."

"Confirmed."

_Ram's Charge _blasted off like a Greymon with it's tail on fire. Morhin ships took occasional pot shots, but failed to rupture the suicidal ship. 

Chalca finally noticed how close to Omicron station Homidon's freighter was. "Homidon, have you looked out the bridge window lately?"

"I know what I'm doing. Omicron station must be taken down. You said it yourself, the mission must be completed."

Chalca didn't reply for several moments. "You're an extraordinary man Homidon. Stupid, but extraordinary."

"Been nice working with you General Walleck. I'll know you failed if I see you in hell not long from now." _Ram's Charge _was a broad missile in space now. Ships tried to fire on it, but with shields in front and a determined man at the bridge, it was futile.

A new transmission came in from an unknown place. "Homidon, what are you doing!?" 

The voice made the General's eyes widen. "Taichi?"

"The one and only. Sora's alive, just back on the Moon. You're close enough to Omicron station to hit it with a rock!"

"A captain must go down with his ship. A tradition old as time itself. I'm and old man Taichi, I just hope it'll be a nice funeral."

"But I have fresh ships! People from the Moon!"

Homidon was undaunted. "Good, then I can rest assured Morhin will be taken down."

Taichi's voice wavered. "General…" 

"It's good to hear your voice one last time Taichi."

_Ram's Charge _impacted. The shield around Omicron station buckled and collapsed. Steel grated against steel on the hulls as they collided and twisted. Homidon's freighter pierced the gray armor of its enormous foe, making a chain of explosions. They continually grew larger, until one final detonation blew a four hundred meter hole in the center of Omicron station. Atmosphere rushed out like blood from a deep cut. Homidon's last act of selfless opposition wrenched everyone's heart.

Within his borrowed Clawcraft, Taichi shamelessly let the tears well up in his eyes. "Godspeed Homidon." The pilot whispered.

The pilots of the Rebel Armada were losing their confidence fast. "General Walleck, this is insane! We've lost almost half of our ships! Homidon and the _Moses _are gone!"

"We have to retreat, before we're completely wiped out."

"Do not fall back! We can do this!"

"You want us to kill ourselves! Like Homidon!"

"Keep fighting!" Chalca sternly replied to the reluctant pilot.

"He's right, keep fighting." Taichi's voice echoed to every ship in the Rebel Armada. "Even in the darkest times, don't go down believing you've failed. I know most of you friends and family down on Earth, waiting for you, but if we don't finish the job, they're just more casualties of this war. If you won't fight for your leaders, fight for your wives, husbands, sons, daughters, or anyone else you have. If you have no one, just fight to know you helped save countless people's lives. But most importantly, keep fighting."

None of the pilots questioned where the voice came from, or why they should listen to him. Everyone stared at the approaching wall of ships. Hundred upon hundreds of ships flew in at incredible speeds, with Taichi leading the charge.

_Attack! Attack! Destroy that station! _ Sora's voice echoed among the fighters.

"Big invader, big invader." One mesmerized Luna spoke aloud.

"Crack it open." Another uttered with equal monotone.

"Crack it open." Many voices agreed randomly.

Everything was chaotic in Omicron station. The ruptured section was sealed off as quick as possible, but a good thousand had been instantly incinerated or sucked out. All the while, Lee sat down in a hallway, knees drawn up. He had hardly eaten anything in the past few days. Takeru happened to pass by, no longer hiding his face or identity. He was still angered by his former friend's traitorous actions, but couldn't stand to see him in such a pitiful state.

"How long are you planning on staying there?"

Lee looked up. His eyes appeared sunken, and the pupils were mere dots in the sea of gray. "You murderer." His voice was scratchy, like he hadn't used it in days. "You're a filthy, murdering, God damned bastard!" With the rage only a man who had nothing to lose, Lee pounced. Takeru didn't anticipate the move even though it was the second time Lee had attacked him, and tumbled to the floor with Lee pulling no punches. Any officer passing by ignored them, focusing only on which escape pod was not taken already.

Takeru kept his cool, and kicked the frenzied man off of him. He swiftly counter-jabbed, and had the advantage. He itched for his stiletto to pop out, but thought it to be too early. "You're a fool Lee. Betrayal is the worst thing to toy with."

"I didn't want to join this empire." Lee's teeth gritted in frustration. "They dragged me out of my house without so much as a goodbye to my family."

"Even so, you should know your place."

"My place is with my family!" Lee found some hidden inner strength and kicked Takeru off. The blonde-haired man roughly hit the wall, but regained his footing. "Are you a beast under those scars?" Lee wiped a stain of blood that trickled down his chin. 

Takeru rebounded and grappled with Lee. "You wouldn't understand what I've gone through."

"Like hell I wouldn't! I lost my whole village, because of you!"

Takeru hadn't put the two ideas together before. _Taichi killed my brother, and I killed him. Lee's town too. Taichi deserved it, but Lee… _His grip began to weaken. "All of your people are gone…" He suddenly pushed back, harder this time. "You deserved it! You double crossed Morhin!"

"For good reason! Don't you understand Takeru? What'll Morhin do once he crushes the rebels? He probably has his sights set on the world. Everything is in shambles, it wouldn't take long. What do you think he'll do with his officers?"

Takeru raised a gold eyebrow.

"They'll be mindless slaves, working in the factories, or worm food in the dirt. He's making the transition from human to machine, and only a few lucky or loyal people will be up there with him."

Lee was winning the battle, and he knew it. Takeru began faltering. It made so much sense now; the future was dark down Morhin's path. How could he have been so nearsighted?

"Don't you get it? You're his pet now. Don't you remember the shuttle? There's no way he could've 'slipped up' with something that important." Lee's voice was hushed. "He was trying to kill you. You were just the first of a series of 'accidents' that were bound to happen."

"No… no, he wouldn't."

"And what's the deal with Taichi? Blood for blood? I heard the whole thing with you and Taichi. I talked to him, he's a sage compared to you, now he's floating dead in space. Didn't he apologize? Didn't he?" 

Takeru's mind was going into uncharted waters. His memory then was faint at that point of time. He struggled to remember. "He, he showed up at my door, and…"

Lee sucked in his breath. Takeru did the same. "He did apologize."

"Why would he apologize for shooting down your brother? Unless, perhaps, he didn't shoot Yamato down."

Takeru's face contorted into one of pain. "Why would he apologize for killing my brother?" He speculated aloud. "Anyone would've kept it a secret, unless they were insane."

"Taichi's not insane, is he?"

Takeru had stopped pushing altogether now. "No." His memory began unraveling like a crumpled piece of paper. "Taichi came to our house, with a piece of _Windrider_. He said… he said… that… it was an accident. A race… that killed Yamato."

"It wasn't his fault."

"You're right, not his fault." Takeru sobbed slightly. "And I just killed him. Directly, with my own hands."

"That's right, and my family." Lee said coldly. Takeru was obviously done fighting, so Lee released him.

"I never thought about it. When that grenade exploded in my hand, I must've hit my head. Healing all of my wounds, I could only think about what I would do with Taichi. After awhile, I forgot why I wanted to rip out his throat." Takeru buried his face in both his real hand, and the artificial implant. "Lee, I'm sorry. I've been a monster, thirsty only for revenge. Revenge I didn't deserve." He was silent, save for a brief sob. "Lee, how can I make up what I've done? I caused so much pain. For you, Taichi, Sora, so many people."

"There is a way." Lee said with sympathy. "Morhin caused pain too, but he doesn't realize his mistake. That's what sets you apart from him. Kill that tyrant, and many people will remember you as the person who saved Earth from injustice." Lee wanly smiled. "And we can call ourselves even."

"Yes, yes, I can do that, but Taichi…"

"Will be a memory. Another scar to the ones you have already. Scars can be covered though."

"Lee… I… I'm sorry." 

Lee closed his eyes and breathed heavily. "Just promise me this. If we both escape, we'll be friends."

"A friend, yes, that's what I need."

A speaker above them crackled to life. The voice was thickly lined with static. "Attention all personnel, our leader, Morhin has come aboard to oversee the rest of the mission. Please report to the bridge for a proper greeting."

Lee and Takeru looked at each other and grinned simultaneously.

Omicron station was beginning to collapse. Hordes of fighters pounded the shields, and gargantuan ships obliterated the dazed Morhin forces. The Luna fought like war veterans, and, coupled with their strong, fast starfighters, were nearly untouchable. Sora directed them impossibly fast in the Ascendancy Chamber. Her wishes were immediately granted via some kind telepathy. There was a downside to this closeness with the ships though, because every time a Luna ship was destroyed, she felt a spark of pain. Sora deftly commanded them to go in defensive formations, to avoid her fighters, no, her children, from dying.

_Children? God, I've been in here too long. _Yet she felt neither exhausted nor hungry.

The map suddenly focused in on a small shuttle coming to Omicron station. It quickly scurried to the huge space station, which was beginning to turn around. Sora was suddenly drawn away a pain in her head. A mid-sized capital ship was destroyed under a deluge of lasers. She was still suspicious of the station, because it was still turning around toward the Moon. The scene of battle suddenly sped up, showing Omicron station pointing toward a battalion of capital ships, and…

_And firing… _If the laser were powerful enough, it would hit the Moon!

_All units find some way of turning that space station! Pound it with missiles or lasers, anything to stop it!_

"Over here?" 

"Farther."

"Here?"

"More."

"I'm practically at the door of the bridge!"

"Alright, I just want to make sure I get him."

"I thought this bomb was 'extremely powerful' " 

Takeru's prowess with bombs and Lee's lightning agility worked well together. In the space of ten minutes, they'd planted an explosive no bigger than a fist on an outside wall near the bridge. In five minutes, it would detonate and make another hull breach. 

"Run for the hangar! Omicron station won't last long." Takeru easily led the way with an enhanced spinal system.

Four minutes later, the two renewed friends were in a shuttle someone had left behind. Takeru coaxed every ounce of power out of the shuttle, but the engine had been started for the first time in probably days.

"C'mon, hurry up." Takeru urged the shuttle, but it still refused to give a standing-by signal. 

"Hey, look down there!" Lee pointed too a gaggle of Digimon, and human soldiers. "Lower the ramp, we have to save them!"

Takeru rushed away from his chair, and jammed the release button. Digimon rushed onto the shuttle, and found something to hold on to. Terriermon, who happened to be in that pack, bared his teeth at Takeru. "If I hated you anymore, I'd rather walk away right now."

"I've changed." Takeru replied simply.

"It's true." Lee called from the front of the shuttle.

Terriermon's featured softened. "I'm still suspicious, but right now, Omicron station is the last place I want to be right now." He joined the group of Morhin defectors and Digimon.

"OK, the engines are started, we're outta here!"

With no mercy to the stick that controlled the throttle, Lee raced out of Omicron station.

At the bridge of Omicron station, Morhin impatiently waited for his station to power up, and for more reinforcements. He'd ordered all but a tenth of his ships to attack.

"I don't know where those ships came from, but they're going down in a beam of light." Morhin drummed his fingers next to the 'Fire' button. 

It was a good five minutes, and series of orders on Morhin's part, before the light registered 100%. He snatched the key from the Director, jammed it in then lifted the cover. "No matter what, I always win." He said, voice dripping with pride. He jammed the button down.

Not twenty meters away, Takeru and Lee's bomb went off.

Omicron station fired its only weapon. A hundred Luna and Rebel Armada ships were instantly destroyed. The bomb made Omicron station pitch downwards, making a long curve in the superlaser's beam. Dozens more were caught in the blast, others flung away by near misses. It was Omicron station's final shot. The bridge, its Director, and its creator were all gone in the blink of an eye.

Lee, Takeru, and three dozen other people and Digimon, were aghast at the violence. Outside, the doomed station, the grandest melee anyone had ever seen took place. Ships had forgotten formation and simply fired upon whatever wasn't their own. Explosion occurred every few seconds, and ships either burst into flames in the atmosphere of Earth, or winked out of existence in a flash of fire.

"Well, we've gone from the engine into the reactor." Takeru muttered as he took control of ship.

Suddenly, every ship in the vicinity slowed down, and stopped firing completely. Takeru and Lee looked around for what was so engrossing. Lee spotted it first, and found out why it was worth looking at.

On the Moon, Sora openly screamed in pain as so many Luna were slaughtered in an instant. For a moment, she felt paralyzed and numb, then eventually regained herself, and slowly returned to reality. Only to have another wave of suffering slap her in the face, this time, closer to home.

Much closer.

Outside, buildings melted under intense heat. Over a distance of twenty kilometers, a deep gash in the Luna cities was formed. Death racked upon death, and nearly drove Sora out of consciousness. It wasn't for several minutes of labored breathing that she could open her eyes. Much later, Sora's pulse slowed down, and she began to return to commanding, just after one of the greatest sites in her life.

Agumon was fatigued after nearly an hour of endless fighting. His wrists were stiff, his trigger finger was sore, and a veritable puddle of sweat stained his seat. Axe-7 was running low on fuel, and its weapons barely maintained half-power. Swinging around Earthward, Agumon saw the spectacular site, and laid down his weary claw. Lizarddramon and Wex did so as well, taking a break from their long shootout.

The bomb that was planted did more damage than expected. Bridgeless, Omicron station lost all control of engines, weapons, shields, everything. Warheads that were meant to take down shields now ruptured the hull. Hundreds of small breaches all mounted at once and sucked the life out of Omicron station. With no engines, the gravity of Earth pulled in its biggest catch yet. Chains of explosions erupted outward, dotting the expired space station. All the while, rows of escape pods shot out with lucky survivors, who'd have quite a tale to tell. 

The core of the laser went off, creating a huge shock wave of energy that rocked even the biggest cruisers. Fire burnt for about three seconds, then disappeared. Omicron station began burning up again, this time, in the atmosphere as a skeleton of what it once was. Down on Earth, over the Detroit Shipyards, soldiers pulled off their helmets, workers stopped building, and every voice was hushed as the glory of Morhin fell from the heavens. Millions of people watched as Omicron station, once an unbeatable weapon, now a fiery ember in the sky, crash with terrible energy onto a desolated space in the Great Plains. Throughout space, and from thousands of oppressed cities, all was silent. 

Then, a grand cheer roared up from the coast to coast and from Earth to the Moon. 

Morhin was dead. His superweapon was dead. The Rebels had won.

Chalca quickly took the situation's opportunity. "Attention all persons that are part of the late Morhin's army. You may swear your allegiance to the newly formed United States, or be hunted down the hard way."

His message was reflected to Mt. Shasta and sent to thousands of comm frequencies. It was planned days before the mission, and worked perfectly. The General was sure almost everyone heard his message.

The Morhin soldiers proved sharper than Chalca had expected. All of the capital ships powered down, and the fighters turned off their weapons and began boarding onto Rebel Armada ships.

"Sir, we have reports of anti-Morhin revolts everywhere! We really did it!"

Chalca nodded with a grin that seemed like it had been pasted on his face.

"What do we do now sir?"

"Let's go home. Home to our family and friends." Unanimous agreement filled the bridge's comm.


	13. Epilogue

So that's it. The Morhin Union disappeared practically overnight, and the U.S is flourishing nine months after that day. The Constitution was renewed, and now we're lending helping hands to other parts of the world. There were actually plenty of other governments that shut themselves away from anything else, but we made truces and trade lines with them. Chalca was almost instantly elected into office as the ninety seventh President of the United States, ending a twelve-year drought.  
  
There was a time for mourning though, and we all said our good-byes to Homidon, along with the hundreds of other pilots. San Francisco has a hollow replica of the Moses filled with the names of dead pilots in it's walls where RAM HQ once stood.  
  
And what about me? Well, Mother sent Sora out of there pretty quickly, but we got back together, and found a place to live near San Francisco. But there was quite a surprise Sora had for me. More on that later.  
  
Takeru and Lee joined up with the Rebel Armada. Imagine Takeru's look when he saw Sora and me! And as it turns out, Lee's family is still alive. When he went out there to mourn, he found a town several kilometers away. By some stroke of luck, everyone had moved away from the spot because it was over farmed. A laser touching down ten kilometers away gave them quite a scare! Terriermon, who had become Lee's good friend, lives there too, and they contact us every once in awhile.  
  
Takeru wouldn't stop apologizing to me, but we've gotten to know each other better, and he finally got scar cover-up surgery and a haircut. He's quite a handsome guy now, as my sister has noticed… Despite his claim to fame as the one who ended Morhin's reign, he's pretty modest and when last seen, took a long trip around the world.  
  
Wex and Lizarddramon opened up their own store that sells ship parts, and I here it's becoming quite popular, and they have quite a few employees on their hands. Three new stores are opening up across the West.  
  
After some intensive searching, I finally found Peregrine in an abandoned hangar. It had quite a few modifications, but Agumon's secret compartment and gambling chips were never discovered. We're still buddies, and we received a fair reward money for helping the Rebel Armada. Sora Agumon and I got a nice house, away from the city hubbub.  
  
And speaking of Sora…  
  
  
  
Taichi walked into the hospital and addressed the clerk at the counter. "I'm here to visit Sora Takenouchi."  
  
The woman smiled and tapped away at her computer. "OK… Mr. Yagami, 3rd floor, room 37-E."  
  
Taichi nodded and went into the elevator. A short ride later, he was on the correct floor and located Sora's room.  
  
He entered and found Sora in a hospital gown, cradling something in her arms. Taichi walked to the bed, and peered into Sora's arms. His child lay there, quietly sleeping. So tiny, and frail, Taichi gently brushed his hand against a fuzzy head.  
  
"This is the fourth time you've been here." Sora said gently.  
  
"Came to see my kid."  
  
"I'll be going home soon."  
  
There was a long pause as the baby yawned mightily.  
  
"What's her name?" Taichi asked.  
  
"Midori."  
  
Taichi tilted his head. "What's green about her?"  
  
Midori awoke and squinted her eyes open. Taichi saw a pair of green irises. "Where'd she get those eyes?  
  
"I don't know, but she's beautiful all the same."  
  
Taichi put one arm around Sora's shoulder. "You know, we forgot all about marriage."  
  
Sora made a face. "Yagami Sora just doesn't sound right. Maybe some other time. That also applies to children." Her mouth made a slight smile. "I only had natural birth because I want to remind myself how much it hurt the next time I think about having more children."  
  
Taichi chuckled, then stuck a finger in front of Midori. The baby reached out and gripped it. "She's got quite an arm there." Taichi said as she squeezed then proceeded to stick it in her mouth. "She's so cute."  
  
"Good, then you can change her diapers at night."  
  
"When it's your own kid's, it's not so bad." Sora laughed lightly at that. "So what do you want to do after this?" Taichi asked.  
  
"Well she's half mine, and I want her to be my little girl."  
  
"She's got Yagami blood in her. We start piloting young. When she's old enough, I'll introduce her to flying."  
  
Midori's flashing green eyes seemed eager to do so. 


	14. Author's note

That's it. Ruin is over. Yeah, I know a lot of you are bumming, but don't worry, this is just one of the many ideas I have that actually made it to Microsoft Word. Even more unusual is that I completed it. I would like to thank a lot of people for helping me out. First of all, a good friend of mine by the name of Jon, who supplied many names and provided a few ideas. Second, fanfiction.net, which is the most popular fanfiction site and guaranteed someone out there, would read my story. Also, I would like to thank everyone who read and reviewed my story. (Except Kamikaze and Ralph Wiggum, who're both just plain crazy) Lastly, I would like to thank Microsoft who prevented this from becoming a jumble of misspelled words, and keeping track of the most trivial information. A few of which I will display.  
  
This fic was started (according to Word. It seems like so much longer ago.) May 27th, 2001, at 8:48 PM. Almost a year later, on March 13th, at 6:13 PM, it was completed. I spent 9675 minutes, or 161.25 hours, or almost 7 days writing and editing this. There are more than 65,000 words, 350,000+ characters (not including spaces. Almost half a million with them.) and I loaded this 315 times. That's about half an hour for each revision, and fifteen hundred new characters added each time. Just wanted to let everyone know how much work was put into this.  
  
And, I have a special note for all of my loyal readers. I haven't quit writing altogether. Another fic is on the way…  
  
Look for Papercut, a Digimon fic based on my favorite song from Linkin Park, coming this spring.  
  
So now, as my mouse hovers over the Exit icon, I'd like to thank everyone one last time, before this fic is archived. Remember, SoccerDude will return.  
  
:::James Bond music plays in background::: 


End file.
